Kitsune: Son of Catwoman
by Bonesboy15
Summary: AU Naruto is fourteen, homeless and starving on the streets of Gotham. He has no recloation of his past, and in his journey to find it, he is assisted by a unexpected feline foe of a certain Caped Crusader. Is his way right, or will he turn? N/SG/Art/BG. M for language. Cancelled.
1. Episode 1

**Ever wonder what would happen if Naruto was given a second chance in another universe? The DC universe? What would happen if he was taken in by Selena Kyle, aka, Catwoman? What if he became the enemy of the Justice League's black operation squad Young Justice? This is the story of The Kitsune, Naruto Kyle.**

**Pairings: Naruto/Artemis, Catwoman/Batman, M'gann/Superboy**

* * *

**Episode 1: Origins...Sort Of**

-Gotham, 2009-

A blonde teen, no older than fourteen, ran through the alleyways of Gotham City in New York. He climbed over a closed dumpster in a fashion most Parkour experts would be jealous of. He ducked in a side alley and looked behind him. Feeling safe, the boy grinned and pulled a bag of chips out. It wasn't a family sized bag, nor a normal one. It was one of those small 99 cent bags anyone could afford. Anyone that had parents or money that is.

This boy went by the name of Naruto. He didn't know why he did. He didn't look Asian; he just looked like a regular blonde kid...with six scars on his face, three on each cheek. He was decked out in a pair of long orange sweats and a black torn T-shirt. He was slightly malnourished so he didn't fit into the clothes as well as he could. Naruto had no memories of his life before three months ago. One day he just woke up in an alley. He found he could read like some people he had seen when he went looking for food in the park. There was a nice old lady that had made him a sandwich once...he liked her.

Then something happened. Some man, who went by the name of Lex Luthor, bought the park and ripped it up. Currently a tower was being built there and surrounding it more buildings, ending Naruto's meeting place with the nice old lady. He then started fending for himself again, breaking into stores and stealing a bag or two, in an attempt to stay unnoticed. Tonight however, there was a hold up in his usual gas station he took from. Three punks wearing super hero masks from a dime store pulled guns on him and he had to leave quickly, only getting one bag.

_Least I got some damn food,_ the blonde thought as he opened the bag and took a bite of the first of many chips. He heard a gunshot from the building above and a man's shout.

"Catwoman!" a deep voice cried from above. Naruto looked up and saw a body falling towards the ground. Something inside him told him to catch the person. His instincts never proving wrong, the blonde leapt into action. He moved fast and angled himself beneath the falling body, allowing it to land on him. The person that landed on him hissed in pain and he groaned slightly.

"That traitorous pigeon!" the person, obviously a woman in some kind of latex outfit, hissed as she rolled off his body. The faint sound of a crunch came to Naruto's ears and he sighed.

_Well...at least I got A chip..._he thought as he himself rolled to his hands and knees. He stood and cracked his neck before rubbing it and muttering, "Ow..."

"Who's there?" a voice asked with a hiss. Naruto held his hands up in defense.

"Listen, lady, I don't want trouble," the blonde said to the woman shrouded by shadow. The woman stepped into the light and Naruto found he couldn't move his eyes off her, despite every instinct telling him to do so. She was wearing a _very_ tight outfit that seemed to show off every curve to her figure. Along with a hood that clung to her head and had some kind of ears attached to them.

"You see something you like?" the woman purred. Naruto swallowed and backed away slowly.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean t-to stare," he stuttered out, now very nervous and looking anywhere but at the woman in front of him. The sound of sirens came to his attention and he turned to bolt when a hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" the woman asked. Naruto gulped before meekly trying to come up with an excuse. The woman purred a moment, again freaking the blonde out, before standing before him and smiling slightly.

"You look like a tough kid," she said, eying his scars, "I could use a partner, and ole Bats has about seventeen kids running around with him (I can't risk him finding you), so what the heck? Need a place to stay?"

Naruto blinked before nodding dumbly. The woman grinned, "Good. Follow me, or you'll be on the streets for the rest of your life."

As she turned to climb back to the roof, Naruto ran past her to the dumpster and ricocheted off of it to the fire escape, clearing that with an impressive amount of speed. Catwoman looked up at the boy that reminded her of herself. She wasn't always Catwoman, master cat burglar or Selena Kyle, historical art dealer of Gotham. No, a good many years ago, she was in the same predicament as that boy. She used to steal for food or worse, sell herself out for money. Shaking her head from those thoughts, Catwoman leapt onto the wall and started to climb it.

_This kid is gonna go places with the right tutelage, _Catwoman thought before smirking, _And ole Bats is gonna have to train his brats harder if he wants to beat mine._

* * *

"Welcome to my humble abode," Catwoman said as she pulled her hood down and releasing her black hair from its confinements. She walked over to her bar and poured herself a drink while Sylvia, her black cat, leapt onto the counter next to her.

The blonde looked around the penthouse in awe before suddenly feeling out of place. He stood rigid near the windowsill, his fight or flight instincts going haywire. Selena looked at the blonde from her spot near the bar and sighed.

"Kid, you can come in and relax," she said, drinking from her glass and absently stroking Sylvia. Naruto nodded and walked over to the couch nearby, looking at it for a minute before taking a seat. Selena noticed his hesitation and joked, "I'll have that spot cleaned tomorrow."

"Oh! I-I'm sorry," the blonde said, immediately standing up. Selena laughed a minute and motioned for him to sit again.

"I was kidding, er...?" she trailed off, waiting for him to introduce himself.

"Naruto," the blonde said, hesitantly taking his seat once again. The black cat hopped down from her mistress' side and investigated the newcomer before leaping onto his lap and lying down. Selena laughed at the confused look on the blonde's face as she walked over to join the two on the couch.

"Well, Naruto," the cat burglar said, "That is Sylvia and apparently she trusts you. I am Selena Kyle."

"H-hello Ms. Kyle...Why am I here?" Naruto asked, finally blurting the question that had been nagging at him. The woman smiled at the blonde.

"I see something in you, Naruto," Selena said, "Something that reminds me of myself. It might be that, or the fact you saved my life and I'd like to thank you. I have an offer for you, Naruto."

The blonde had absently started stroking the cat in his lap as he looked at the woman showing him hospitality, "Y-yes?"

"How would you like to be able to have anything you want?" Selena asked, "To take whatever you please without having to worry about anything? Does that sound good to you?"

Naruto nodded intensely. He had already been stealing what he needed to survive, why wouldn't he want to steal for himself? Perhaps even others...Maybe his stealing can help others...

Selena smiled again before setting her drink down and looking at him seriously, "Here's my offer, and it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, so don't blow it. I will take you in and off the streets, train you to be as good as I am in whatever I feel is necessary, and pay for your schooling. School is mandatory on this, unless I fake an excuse."

Naruto didn't know what school was or what it had to do with the situation but he knew that offers didn't go one way. He had overheard enough robbery plans before he was brought into this place and looked back at the woman, "What do I have to do for you?"

"You will become my partner in crime," she said, "I'm not always a cat burglar so I will also be teaching you the ways of my trades, thievery and art dealing. These are also two mandatory options."

Naruto took it all in. Technically, he had been breaking the law for the past three months, perhaps for even longer if he ever got his memory back, but it didn't matter. He was taught basic trades by a few people in the alleys, what was considered good and bad, and how to determine the needs from the wants. Most of them were drunks though, so he didn't heed much of their words. The blonde looked back at the raven haired woman and smiled slightly.

"I'll do it."

* * *

The next day, Naruto became the adopted son of Selena Kyle. He was named her heir in case anything should happen to her, which he thought was a little much. Selena assured him nothing would happen to her, and if she did 'die' then he would have to only worry about Sylvia until he became the written age. The Mayor held a welcoming party in his honor, but Selena told him it was an attempt to get into her pants, which sickened Naruto slightly. The blonde asked where he would get the proper clothes and Selena replied that her assistant picked a suit up for him. He met the most influential man in Gotham, Bruce Wayne, and his ward, Dick Grayson.

Dick was two years younger than him and was pretty cool by his standard, but immediately Naruto could tell that the two were hiding something. Selena praised him for his instinctual deductive skills when he asked her about it after his 'welcoming' party before asking him what he thought. Naruto's reply was that he'd need more on them before he could actually come up with anything, slightly shocking both himself and Selena.

* * *

-one week later-

Selena started him on his kickboxing and Tai Kwon Do training, and something strange happened. The several dojo dummies he was introduced to shredded after a few punches. It was as though he was using claws. And through meditation, Naruto had an epiphany as to why this was happening.

"Maybe my parents were super human," he suggested once to Selena over their breakfast. Hearing her rant on and on about some 'Justice League' full of super humans, aliens, and pajama wearing freaks, it got him to thinking. The woman stopped eating and suddenly grinned.

"You're a genius, Naruto," she said, grabbing his wrist and dragging him downstairs to her car. She drove them to a Star Labs in New York City and used a false name to undergo a testing seminar to discover what his gifts were.

After a physical, making Naruto more uncomfortable than he was before he went behind the curtain, and a blood test, a redheaded scientist came back out with wide eyes.

"He's...I don't know how to say this," she said, "It says he's completely human. We've tested for Atlantean, Kryptonian, Martian, and even Android DNA. Nothing!"

"That can't be right!" Selena cried, Naruto nodding at her side, personally glad he was out of the dress the scientist gave him. It was freaking cold and Naruto enjoyed wearing his black and orange hoodie Selena's assistant, Michelle, picked out for him. Currently, he was wearing the hoodie along with a pair of baggy jeans and sneakers. Not to say he didn't dress nice, he just didn't do it if he didn't have to.

"Hold on, Mrs. Line," the scientist said, "We did pick something up. The boy has a trace of...fox DNA apparently."

"Fox DNA?" the two chorused. The scientist nodded.

"Yes," she said, "Through thorough research we have deduced several things he could learn."

"You did all this in fifteen minutes?" Naruto asked, earning an odd stare from the scientist.

"We're Star Labs boy," she said, "We're possible of that and much more. But anyway, we've discovered he could possibly be able to convert nature into energy, such as wind and the environment. There are several other abilities we've considered, but without intensive testing with the subje-erm, I'm so sorry, the boy, we'd never be sure."

"Of course, give me a moment with my son," Selena said, earning a nod of understanding from the scientist, who left out the door, giving the two privacy. Selena turned to the blonde and arched an eyebrow, "So what do you want to do?"

Naruto pulled a plastic stem out he had snatched from a long time ago and chewed on it as he thought. He looked back at the woman he had been adopted by and grinned, somehow looking like a fox, "Let's see what I can do. Maybe it'll help us."

"Maybe..." Selena said with a grin of her own forming.

* * *

-Three weeks later-

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Kitsune?" Selena asked as she pulled her mask on. She looked over at the blonde who simply grinned. He was wearing a custom made body armor shirt from Star Labs that had no sleeves and the design of a swirl on the front, a mini-fox face on its center. It was black and orange on his sides, defining him nicely. He wore black fingerless gloves that contained hidden knives near the wrists. With an dark blue utility belt and cargo pants that had, for a reason unknown to the master cat burglar, orange designs on it, the blonde finished his attire off with two combat boots that he left under the pants unlike many super soldiers.

Strapped on his thighs were containers holding an odd, yet effective, short knife that was known as a kunai. In his back pouches on his belt he had several throwing shuriken that he proved to be very well trained in. She knocked it off as an ability he learned before he lost his memory.

"What? And miss out on meeting this Dark Knight that has my 'mom's heart in his tights?" Naruto, who was pulling a beanie with a metal plate on the rim on over his head, asked. Selena shot him a glare while blushing behind her mask. Naruto grinned as he pulled his black and orange goggles on over his eyes. He looked back at the black cat, scratching her behind the ear and earning an affectionate purr, "Be a good girl and keep watch! See you later, Sylvia!"

The blonde then pushed the balcony window open and leapt out to the night, landing on the opposite building. He looked up at Selena and waved, earning a smirk from the woman. She went out the window, shutting it before she leapt after him, and landed beside the goggle clad teen.

"Remind me again why my name is Kitsune and not Foxman?" Kitsune asked Catwoman. The woman smiled at her protégé.

"Because unlike Batman, it's just not that effective," she replied. Kitsune rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"I swear he's all you talk about when you're not off thinking about Bruce," he muttered. Catwoman shot him another glare.

"Stay away from civilian related hints, Kitsune," Catwoman instructed, "If someone discovered your identity, you could have more problems than you bargain for. Remember that, Kitsune."

"Yes Catwoman," Kitsune replied with a nod, feeling bad he could have blown their cover. He turned to the opposite building and then back to her with a grin.

"Bet ya I can beat you to the museum," he challenged. The woman chuckled before grinning at the goggle clad teen.

"You're on shrimp," she said running towards the Gotham Museum. The goggle wearer gave her a few seconds as he put his ear buds in his ear. He played a song by some reggae artist called Fire Burning as he ran and used his Parkour skills to keep up with the agile Catwoman. He flipped and twisted through the air without any problems on his mind, smiling all the way.

He appeared right next to Catwoman and turned his left ear bud off as he turned to talk to her, "What are we going after again?"

"Herm...I think we'll take a shot at the Cat's Eye jewel. Bats likes to keep me from getting that for some reason," she growled slightly. Kitsune chuckled.

"Hm, I don't know, call me crazy, but I think it might be that it's an expensive artifact!" he said to her before doing a handspring ahead of her. Catwoman grumbled to herself before following the goggle clad boy.

They both landed on the roof and Catwoman mewed in curiosity at the two figures standing atop the building.

"Who are you?" she asked the figures. One looked like Robin Hood, gay tights included, while the other looked more heroic and a lot more feminine. Kitsune gave her his signature head tilt that seemed to send females a message or something. He kind of zoned out when the scientist was explaining what his looks could do to a person of the opposite sex. It worked on everyone except Catwoman, but Kitsune thought that was because she had the hots for a man wearing tights and a bat symbol.

"My name is Green Arrow," the Robin Hood look-a-like said, readying a bow, "This is my apprentice, Artemis."

"Like the Greco-Roman goddess of the hunt," Kitsune muttered. Catwoman sent a grin to her pupil before looking back at the Arrow.

"And Batty is...where?" she asked the green clad hero. Green Arrow pulled back on his bowstring, the arrow in it primed and beeping.

"He's away," Green Arrow replied, "Told some League members that he had urgent business in Africa with an old friend. He talks about you."

"Mrrow, does he?" Catwoman purred. Kitsune slapped himself in the face and hung his head. Of all people, why did she have to have the hots for Batman? Couldn't she settle for Bruce Wayne? Geezus...

"Not often," Arrow said before launching his shot. Kitsune shoved Catwoman to the left before he leapt to the right. Pulling two kunai out, he went after the secondary target; Artemis. The blonde girl had her own bowstring pulled back and aimed right at the boy rushing towards her. Her eyes narrowed as did Kitsune's behind his goggles before she released her shot. Kitsune ducked to the left at the last possible second and threw his own projectile at the blonde girl. Artemis, surprised she missed her shot, crossed her arms in an attempt to shield herself from the unknown projectile sent her way.

Arrow saw the object flying at his newest pupil's person and cursed. He hadn't gotten to her dodging yet because of his own pride. He couldn't go help her because Catwoman had him occupied. How was he supposed to know the usually solo thief would bring her own sidekick?

Kitsune cursed silently as he realized she wouldn't attempt to dodge, which was odd because that was the first thing he was trained to do, and ran faster, pushing himself as he flew past the kunai. He tackled the blonde girl to the ground, allowing the sharp projectile to fly past both of them. He pushed away from the blonde girl below him and looked at her shocked eyes.

"You ok? Why the hell didn't you dodge?" Kitsune asked her. The girl was at least a year younger than himself, if his guess was correct, and she looked back at the goggle clad boy with wide eyes.

"I...why?" she asked him. Kitsune sighed and stood off of her, focusing his attention back on the objective. He ran from the girl he had just saved from his own attack, somehow knowing if he didn't save her she'd be dead. His guilt was catching up to him and he ran to the window on the rooftop before jumping down through the glass into the museum. The alarms blared, alerting Catwoman to his fate as well as Arrow. Green Arrow raised his bow in the cat burglar's direction once again.

"Your boy there ruined it for you, Catwoman," he said, pulling back on the bowstring slightly, "Give up! The cops will be here soon and then we can finally put you away."

Catwoman smirked as she saw a figure leap to the building in the other direction behind Green Arrow. It ran fast, not doing fancy flips, just leaping from rooftop to rooftop. She looked back at the Green Arrow with her smirk and threw smoke bombs to the ground before fleeing towards her penthouse.

Green Arrow coughed before looking around frantically and cursing, "Damn...one move away from getting her behind bars...Oh crap, Artemis!"

The Arrow rushed to his apprentice's side and knelt next to her, "Artemis, are you ok?"

"H-He tried to...and then he...saved me?" she said, confused from the whole matter. She looked up at the Arrow for help but he just looked at the glass window her attacker vanished through.

"Maybe he was just as new to this as you are," Green Arrow said to his apprentice. He scratched his beard in thought before helping the girl stand and patting her shoulder and smiling to her.

"All in all, aside from your close call, you did good!"

* * *

Kitsune crashed through the windows of Selena Kyle's penthouse and threw his goggles and beanie off. He grabbed his head in pain and shut his eyes. He saw dying brown eyes stare back at him and felt blood being coughed on him. He cried out in pain as the flashes changed to a redhead boy with green eyes looking up at him with confused eyes. The pain increased as he fell to his knees and cried out in agony.

"Naruto!" Selena shouted, coming in through the balcony window he smashed through earlier and pulling her mask off, "Are you ok? Naruto?"

The blonde moved his hands from his head to wrap around his stomach as he dry heaved. Selena acted quickly and grabbed a vase that was used as decoration. Right now it didn't matter to her as much as this blonde did, who had somehow snuck his way into her heart along with the Dark Knight and Bruce Wayne. Selena put the vase under his mouth and rubbed his back.

"Let it out, Naruto," she said before the boy grabbed for the vase and puked. He felt like he was vomiting all his stomach contents from the day and then some into the vase. And the flashes! Oh how the faces haunted him, the blood trickling from their mouths and eyes. People dying everywhere, that's all he saw.

When he finally stopped puking, he fell into his guardian's arms and sobbed. He was scared, hurt, and very, very confused, so he vented anyway a normal teenager would.

He cried in his mother's arms.

Selena hugged the boy tightly and rubbed his back until he passed out. She lifted him up and carried him to the couch before turning around and grabbing his 'puke bin'. Looking the vase over, she realized it was a fake that she had put out to fool any other thieves and felt slightly relieved. She looked back over to the resting Naruto, whose face was far from peaceful and calm. It looked tortured, horrified even. The usually cold Selena Kyle frowned.

_He might not know it from how I act with him...but I do care,_ she thought before remembering what he said before they left earlier that night, _Apparently, he does think of me that way...Kind of upsetting that I'm not his big sister, but no biggie. I can only imagine what he's dreaming of..._

* * *

-Naruto's Memories-

It was all gone.

The buildings, the people, his friends and teammates. All dead. Their bodies stared back at him, asking why he didn't save them. Why he didn't come back with the white haired man who lay before him earlier. Why couldn't he save any of them?

The eyes were the ones haunting him. The purple eyes with ripples in them.

"You are going to die here, Kyuubi's jinchuriki," the purple eyes with ripples owner said. He was an orange haired man with piercings everywhere.

"F-Fuck you!" he shot back. His hands and legs were pinned to the ground through some type of stake. The pierced man showed no emotion as he raised a stake in his left hand.

"Goodbye monster. With you dead, peace will consume the lands," the man said before shoving the stake through his heart. The last thing Naruto saw before darkness was the small twitch in the orange haired man's face.

The twitch of a smile.

That wouldn't be the last time he saw the smile on the pierced orange haired ripple eyed man's face. It would be the first of many nightmares to come.

* * *

-Gotham, 2011, two years later-

"AHH!" A messy haired blonde screamed as he shot up in bed. He scanned his surroundings before sighing. The licking on his left hand alerted him to a visitor in his room and he smiled.

"Hello Sylvia," the blonde said to the black cat as he stroked her back before scratching behind her ear. Sylvia purred in approval of the teen's stroking and almost mewled in disappointment when he stopped. He sat up and stretched before cracking his neck and standing. Looking in the mirror he scratched his left cheek's scars, a nervous habit of his, before going to the wall and checking to see if he grew. Currently, if his measurements were correct, he grew at least another quarter inch. He smirked as that now put him at a good 5' 11' even. He looked at the clock and sighed.

"Six in the morning...well I've got about an hour 'til school starts, might as well get ready now," he muttered to himself as he went towards the shower. Five minutes later he was pulling his cargo pants on and brushing his teeth. Multitasking came easy for the blonde, as his mentor/guardian/sister-in-arms/mother drilled it into him in the first month he lived with her. He pulled his Star Labs body armor shirt on before pulling his orange and black hoodie on over that. The hoodie was snug and clung to his body slightly, annoying the blonde as it wasn't as baggy as he would have liked. Reaching for his goggles, the blonde paused before shrugging and pulling them over his head, allowing them to dangle around his neck.

"Someone's up early," a voice said from the doorway. The blonde looked over at his mentor as she walked past him in her purple robe and he arched an eyebrow.

"Someone's actually home for once," he shot back, earning a growl of annoyance from the woman.

"Hey, I'm not a teenager anymore," the woman said as she brewed herself some coffee, "I can't be out partying all the time."

The blonde rolled his eyes and grabbed his mug and poured some of his Monster energy drink into it, "Whatever, Selena. We still doing that raid tonight, or is _another_ Bruce Wayne charity event putting that off?"

Selena huffed, "Just because I have a somewhat healthy relationship with Bruce doesn't mean you can go and get all jealous over it, Naruto."

"I'm _not_ jealous," Naruto shot back before he took a sip of his energy drink, "I'm just...kinda bummed, ya know? We haven't stolen anything together since...well since May!"

Selena smiled and patted his cheek, "Aw, you want to go out and steal with me. That's sweet. Well, why not go solo?"

"Cuz it's not as fun without you!" Naruto shot back, sitting on a stool next to the kitchen's island, "No one ever shows up if I'm the only one thieving...except for that looser in the red and yellow."

"Bird boy?"

"No, someone around my age. He runs really fast, but that's it. It's so boring!"

"Ohh, Kid Flash...What about wordplay?"

"Ugh, it's so cheesy with that wannabe. I'd rather face _The_ Flash, not his pansy ass little brother. Hell, even Robin or Batgirl are more fun to taunt than him! _And_ they give out much better fights...especially Batgirl. She's _really_ fun to fight with-Ow! What?" Naruto asked as he rubbed his shoulder where Selena pinched him.

"You're acting like a teenager again," Selena said with a smirk before turning it into a smile, "Then why not go scope another city out? I hear Metropolis is Superman-free for the next two months."

"Yea, Super_man_-free," Naruto argued, "Not Super_boy_ free. And I heard that dude has issues. Big ones. I am NOT fighting another mental superpowered guy. It'd be Thanksgiving with Grundy all over again!"

"Grundy's not so bad once you get on his good side," Selena said, taking a drink of her coffee, "Ok, I've got one more idea as a back-up if I can't make it to tonight's raid. Go to NYC's museum."

"Why would I want to risk going into Steel's landscape?" Naruto argued, "Dude's hammer freaking HURTS. Or so I'm told by Harley Quinn."

"What have I told you about talking to that psycho?" Selena asked with narrowed eyes. Naruto scratched his head sheepishly.

"Sorry," he replied before fiddling with his mug as he thought. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, aside from Sylvia's purring as she rubbed against Selena's leg, Naruto looked up and asked, "Can I go to Maine?"

"No."

"Aw, c'mon! All that's there is Speedy, erm, Red Arrow! And occasionally Green Arrow, but that's nothing!"

"It's in another state, Naruto. I said no and that's final."

"Come on, Selena! This so isn't cool. You get to freaking go to another country and raid! Why can't I?"

"Because I'm your guardian and I said so."

"...Ok, you've got me there. But c'mon! It's not like I'm asking to go to the coast and deal with Aquaman and the Atlanteans! Or-Or go to the West Coast and deal with Wonder Woman and Green Lantern! We know every hero's hangout because of that hacking deal I got off of Gizmo! Please let me go to Maine. There's something there I've been dying to get my hands on!"

"Oh?" Selena asked, intrigued, "And what is this item?"

Naruto reached into his back pocket, fishing his wallet out and pulling a folded piece of paper out and showed it to her. Selena whistled and looked at him questionably, "You want to go after this?"

"Yeah..." Naruto said, "It's called the Fox Tail of Fire. It's priceless and I don't know why, but something is telling me to go after it. It might have...It might have some answers..."

He looked down at the picture once again before looking up at the raven haired woman he called his mentor and she saw how important this was to him. He was pleading with those damned blue eyes of his again, the eyes she couldn't say no to. Selena held her head in frustration before sighing in defeat.

"Fine," she said, and as he started to cheer in victory, she cut him off, "But at the first sign of any other league members, you'd better call it off!"

"Who do you think I am? The Pigeon?" Naruto asked as the two of them laughed. He looked at the clock and swore, "Dammit! I'm gonna be late if I don't leave now. Thanks again, Selena, you're the best."

He kissed her on the cheek before rushing out the window, grabbing his green backpack along the way. Selena shook her head and put their mugs in the sink before heading towards the shower.

Sylvia, having noticed her mistress and master had left the room, went to the windowsill in order to lounge in the sun of the June morning. On her previous lounging spot, a newspaper lie unrolled, the image of six teens on the front page in separate images and the headline: 'YOUNG HEROES RUMORED TO BE IN MAINE!'

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Makes you excited for the next chapter doesn't it? Don't worry people. This is, hopefully, the last new story for a while. I have Genocide's and Hold My Hand's chapter 3 in progress and again am waiting for some idea on how to finish off the Yuki saga for Ame's Jinchuriki. Please Read And Review. PEACE!


	2. Episode 2

**The chapter came to me easily so I hope it turns out well. Again, any help with Ame's Jinchuriki would be nice. Thank you!**

**Pairings: Naruto/Artemis, Catwoman/Batman**

**Disclaimer: If I owned any of the following fictional characters do you think I'd be writing on Fanfiction?**

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* * *

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**Episode 2: Average Day of a Not-So-Average Teen**

"Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!" Naruto cursed as he leapt from building to building. He checked his watch again and uttered another curse.

"I am so screwed," Naruto muttered as he leapt down to the alleyway behind Gotham High. He ran out from the alleyway and to the front doors that he jumped through just before they shut automatically and locked. The blonde hopped back up to his feet before the final bell rang and ran towards the first class he had. He entered the classroom just as the teacher finished writing down on the board their first assignment.

"Well Mr. Kyle?" the English teacher, Mr. Slogger, asked as he turned to face the blonde, "What's your excuse for being late today?"

"My car broke down?" the blonde said sheepishly, earning snickering from the rest of the class. The teacher shook his head and rubbed his eyes with one hand. Slogger pointed to a chair.

"Just go sit down...we'll discuss this after class," the man said. The blonde sighed before going to his chair and plopping down in it.

"Smooth move, Snot," a small teen whispered to his left. Naruto glared at the teen. He was no taller than 5' 1" and his hair was shaved off his head, giving him a buzzed hairstyle. Around his neck were welder's goggles and he wore a dark green shirt and brown cargo shorts with military-type boots on his feet.

"Bite me Micro," Naruto hissed back, earning a glare from the smaller boy. Micro eventually turned his attention back to a tinkering subject on his desk. Naruto, curious as to what his somewhat friend was doing looked at him and asked, "What's that supposed to be, Giz?"

"Neutron Accelerator," the young technological wizard replied, "It'll scramble anyone's brainwaves if I can get it to work well enough...might just actually make yours work, Fox-boy."

Naruto growled at the jibe before smirking and whispering, "Remind me again, who's the one that's been in Juvie seventeen times?"

"Shut up!" Micro roared, interrupting the class and getting glared at by the teacher.

"Mr. O'Jeneus!" Mr. Slogger shouted, "That's a detention for you!"

When the teacher returned to his lesson, Micro glared at the smirking blonde on his right and hissed, "Remind me to never give you another code-bypass when you ask for it."

"Aw, Micro, I'm hurt," Naruto whispered, feigning pain by holding a hand to his chest and forcing his lip to tremble. The blonde then reduced himself to snickering while the nearly-bald boy to his left grumbled before returning to his project.

* * *

"Miss Kyle," Michelle, Selena's assistant said through her phone, "You have an eleven o'clock with some private investors at the museum, a lunch with a Chicago Museum head at Romeo's, a 1:30 dentist appointment, and Naruto has a parent/teacher meeting at Four, with Mr. Jenkins, the Chemistry teacher. He's worried about Naruto's lack of interest in the class."

"What period class is that, Michelle?" Selena asked through her blue tooth as she walked out of the elevator and towards the garage of her apartment complex.

"It would be tenth period, ma'am," Michelle replied. Selena sighed.

"That figures," Selena said, "Ok, move my dental appointment to two o'clock, I'm busy at one thirty."

"Yes ma'am," her assistant replied before Selena hung up on her and walked to her car. She unlocked her car and got in, driving away to begin her busy day.

* * *

"No way!" Micro shouted in the lunch line to the blonde next to him. Naruto shushed him and nodded. He had just told Micro that he managed to get his first single raid job planned.

"Yup," he said as he grabbed a hot dog, gelatin, and a Coke for his lunch from the line. The technological genius looked up at him in awe.

"I doubt it with the idiot you are," the boyish teen said. Naruto glared at him.

"Not all of us can be born geniuses, dumbass," the blonde said as he paid for his lunch and walked towards his usual table. Sitting there was an average looking boy with long red hair wearing a black and yellow T-shirt and black pants, a bald Indian girl wearing a white tank-top and jeans, and a thirteen-year-old boy wearing all black with a red skull on his shirt and sunglasses gleaming.

"Fox-face," the thirteen-year-old said with a nod, still hiding his eyes from the group. Naruto grinned as he sat next to the red haired boy.

"Sup Xavier," he returned as Micro sat next to him, "Jinx, Baran. How's everyone doin?"

"We're all good," Jinx answered with her eyes shut, eating some of her soup slowly before she looked at the blonde across from her, "And how are you, Kitsune?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "Knock it off, witch. I don't want to blow my cover right now."

"What's your problem?" Baran asked as he took a sip of his Venom energy drink, his muscle pulsing slightly, "You seemed edgy in Spanish today."

"Snot here is going away to Maine tonight," Micro answered as he ate a few tater-tots before tinkering with his project again, "Gonna steal some necklace or something."

"I thought Ms. Kyle wouldn't let you go out on your own?" Jinx asked, keeping her mouth shut about their alternate identities.

"I managed to convince her otherwise," the blonde replied, "Unless the League shows up."

The table all nodded in understanding, as they were all rookies compared to the members of the Justice League.

Naruto knew all these guys from his occasional gun-for-hire jobs he took up. Jinx went by the name Jynx, not really original but who was he to judge? She could control "luck", or so she claimed, but in reality all she did was Eastern Magic, which came in handy when he needed help with an artifact's history, but other than that he saw her skills no better than that of the Gentleman Ghost.

Baron Flinders was also known as the muscle-for-hire Mammoth. It was rumored on the street that he was the illegitimate son of Bane, but Naruto didn't believe in rumors...mostly. He did use a serum he called Venom to increase his muscle mass and in turn his strength nearly a thousand fold. The six foot boy would turn into an eight foot giant with arms as wide as some men's waists. Naruto made the mistake of upsetting him while he was under the influence of Venom, the side effect made his brain slightly smaller than average, and was put in the hospital for at least two months as a result.

Micro O'Jeneus was the closest thing to a best friend Naruto could say he had. Micro, or Gizmo as he called himself, was a technological prodigy at the young age of twelve. He turned thirteen last month, but had been in the black market business for at least five years prior. Usually he wore a loose green jumpsuit with black welding gloves and his welding goggles along with a technologically advanced backpack Naruto swore he'd seen in a comic book or movie. Gizmo's pack could become a jetpack or spider legs that allow him to climb buildings.

Xavier, aside from his age of thirteen, was a mystery. His alter ego, Red X, was just as mysterious. He committed his own fair share of burglaries, but always did so in smaller cities, nowhere near as large as Gotham or Metropolis. His own skill with his X blades rivaled Naruto's with his kunai and shuriken. They had never gone all out against each other, but Naruto knew Red X was more than likely a match for Robin the boy wonder. The two had a bet as to who would best the Boy Wonder more times, but currently they were tied at 45-45.

"Yo! Snot!" Micro shouted, getting the blonde's attention, "Did you hear that some rookie heroes are going to Maine for a little bit?"

"W-What?" Naruto asked, paling slightly. He swallowed before taking a thoughtful bite of his hotdog. _Man, if Selena finds out about this...No, it'll work out. She said I could go so long as there isn't any League members,_ he thought before turning to Micro, "Any Leaguers?"

"Nah," Xavier answered in a cold tone, "They're all the rookies. I'm going because word on the street is our favorite bird is going to be there."

Naruto grinned challengingly, "You wish! I'll bet I best him five times before you can even beat him once!"

"Doubtful," Xavier replied, pushing his glasses up his nose. He smirked at the blonde, "Bum a ride off ya?"

"You're paying for your own ticket you freeloader!" Naruto shouted while pointing at the boy. The other three snickered at the two's antics before a presence behind their blonde friend made them clear their throats. Naruto stopped his rant and turned to gulp at his Advanced Algebra teacher, Mr. Slade.

The man was also known as Death Stroke, one of the most skilled assassins in the United States. Usually he wore a gold mask with one eyehole along, but now with his face free, you could see the lone scare that traveled down his right side of the face and the heavy scarring on the left.

"Mr. Kyle," Slade said with an icy tone, "Keep your voice down."

"Y-Yes Mr. Slade," Naruto stuttered out, "S-Sorry sir. S-see you l-later."

Slade walked away and left the group frozen in fear of his aura. Naruto swallowed and turned to the group and said, "S-So who wants to go to Maine?"

* * *

-Two days later, Maine-

Naruto had managed to recruit Gizmo and Red X for this adventure, Mammoth said he had another job and Jynx replied that she was being called in for a religious aspect by her father. Before he left, Selena had given him a cell phone with the word 'Fox' engraved into it, and told him to call at the first sign of trouble with the League. Selena had also given him keys to one of her penthouses in Maine to use as a base. Naruto was grateful and didn't feel at all bad when he hugged her in front of his friends at the airport.

He conveniently forgot about telling her about the rookie heroes and Robin being there, but he doubted it'd matter.

Now the three boys were going over the game plan.

"Here's the target," Naruto said pointing to the picture on the table, "The Fox Tail of Fire. It comes from an ancient Japanese ruin found underneath Ottowa. It's said to have ancient abilities related to fire, but I think it actually has much, much more. This is personal for me, so no matter what, I want that gem."

"We're doing this for you...why?" Gizmo asked as he prodded at his pack, "What's in it for us?"

"I knew you'd ask that," Naruto said with a groan before holding two checks out, "These are both fifty-thousand each, plus whatever else you grab from the museum. But whoever gets the Tail, gets a ten-thousand bonus."

The two teens accepted the checks with stars in their eyes and nodded to their elder counterpart. Naruto sighed before he pulled his hoodie off and put his beanie on. He pulled his goggles on over his eyes and pulled his gloves from his bag on. Kitsune finished getting ready and looked at Red X and Gizmo, both of whom also looked ready. He opened the window to the balcony and grinned before flipping off the railing.

Gizmo activated his jetpack and pulled his goggles on before shooting out to the night sky. Red X leapt out to the rooftop and stayed along the edge in order to keep up with the others. Kitsune was practically bounding from rooftop to rooftop with four legs as he twisted, flipped, and leapt through the night.

* * *

-Museum of Maine, 2:00 AM-

"Why are we guarding the museum, Robin?" A green skinned girl asked as she floated upside down next to the boy wonder.

"Because it's holding a very powerful object, and plus, Kaldur told us to," A boy wearing a mask with white transparent fillings covering his eyes. He looked over at the Martian and grinned, "You'd rather be with Superboy, wouldn't you Megan?"

Megan blushed, "Sh-Shut up Robin!"

"Superboy and Megan sitting on a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G–" Robin sang out, causing the Martian to turn a darker shade of green before another voice cut in.

"First comes love, then comes marriage...Do you think a Super baby would even need a baby carriage?" Kitsune asked Red X, who merely shrugged. Red X saw Megan and Kitsune slapped himself when he followed the skull-masked boy's gaze.

"Here we go," the beanie wearing boy muttered. Red X waltzed over to the green skinned girl.

"Why hello there," he said seductively from behind his mask and leered at the girl, "And what is your name, beautiful?"

"M'gann M'orzz, but you can call me Megan," Megan said, not understanding his advances. Red X seemed to smile behind his mask and lifted her hand to place a kiss on it through his mask.

Robin slapped his own face before looking at Kitsune, "He hasn't changed once?"

"Nope..." Kitsune said shaking his head, "But then again, you haven't grown at all, so it's to be expected."

"What are you doing here anyway?" Robin asked, ignoring the jibe and an questioning gaze locked on the elder teen thief.

Kitsune flashed the boy his foxy grin, "Just taking in the sights, meeting the girls, you know, enjoying summer."

"No, I mean what are you doing _here_?" Robin asked his eyes narrowing behind his mask. Kitsune's grin grew.

"I'm just window shopping," he replied, strolling past the skylight that was above the main hall of the museum. He looked back at the Boy Wonder and asked, "Plus I heard you were visiting so I thought, 'Why not go play with Robin? Maybe he can give me Batgirl's number!' So what do you say?"

"...I told you to leave her out of this!" Robin roared before he leapt at the older teen. Kitsune stopped his advance with one hand on his head. The beanie wearing thief laughed.

"Aw, looks like Birdboy _does_ have a crush! How _kawaii_!" Kitsune said teasingly. Megan looked from her embarrassing situation before looking at the beanie clad boy near her age holding her friend back.

"Hey! What are you doing to Robin?" Megan asked with a demanding tone, leaving Red X wallowing off to the side, muttering about his horrible single life. Kitsune shook his head before looking down through the glass behind him and reaching into his back pocket and pulling two smoke bombs out.

"Just talking," he replied, readying the smoke bombs before his nose twitched slightly. _I know this scent...I haven't smelt it in a while though..._

He threw the bombs down, hiding himself and Red X, who jumped through the skylight window Gizmo opened from the inside. Kitsune followed the skull masked thief through the window before clinging to the ceiling with his ability. He looked at his boots, which were slightly glowing blue, and then back up at the window and shut it before the smoke above cleared. He listened as the Martian girl started speaking again while Gizmo and Red X went looking for the Tail.

"Damn! He got away...AGAIN!" Robin fumed. Kitsune smirked from his spot to the right of the window, just barely being hidden in shadow.

"Who was he?" Megan asked. Robin scowled.

"His name's Kitsune," the Boy Wonder said, "He's Catwoman's apprentice, and he's damn good at what he does. He's given Batman some trouble sometimes, but that's mainly because he's a new type of meta-human. We don't know who he is, but he's annoying as hell!"

"Should I try reading his mind?" Megan asked as she started to do just that. Kitsune felt a tug in the back of his mind and kept his thoughts from wondering, looking down at an guard that Gizmo had knocked out and tried using what his thoughts would be.

"Sure, don't get your hopes up though," Robin said as he sat on the window, "He's probably long gone."

After a moment, Megan sighed, "He's gone. All I'm getting is the thoughts of the guards in the museum."

Kitsune blinked before grinning and dropping to the floor. He started to walk away backwards before turning around and coming face to face with a green arrow aimed at his nose.

"I _knew_ you were waiting somewhere for me," he said as a foxy grin crossed his face, "Hello Artemis. Been a while."

"You know me?" the blonde asked, arching an eyebrow behind her mask, "Because this is the first time I've met you."

"I'm hurt, Arte," Kitsune said holding his chest and frowning, "Right here."

The sound of the bow being drawn caused him to become quiet, "Who. Are. You?"

Kitsune grinned and said, "Gotham Museum 09."

it took a second before Artemis' eyes widened in recognition and she lowered her bow, "You! You were with Catwoman that night! ...Who are you?"

"Bird boy doesn't talk about me?" Kitsune asked before turning away and going into a thinking pose, "That's rather insulting...I talk about him and Batgirl all the time...well more so Batgirl than him, but that's a different story."

Artemis narrowed her eyes and redrew her bowstring. Kitsune turned to look at the drawn bow and raised a brow behind his goggles, "I save your life and this is how you repay me?"

"You tried to kill me!" the blonde girl growled, pulling her bow back further. Kitsune sighed and pinched his nose.

"You were the one that didn't dodge!" he snapped back at her as he looked at her, "Now, I don't know about you, but I'm trying to NOT attract attention...however, if you want my attention you have it."

Before Artemis could open her mouth, the wall exploded open and a boy wearing a tight black shirt with a red S and shield on it walked in. He clenched his fists and looked from where Artemis' arrow was pointed to the goggle wearing teen in front of her. He pointed at the boy and narrowed his eyes.

"You." The clone of the man of steel said.

"Me?" Kitsune asked, pointing at himself. At the 'S' wearer's nod, he continued with, "Not her?"

"No. You," the boy said again. Kitsune sighed before cracking his neck and grinning.

"Bye."

The two heroes in the room with him had confused looks on their faces but then Gizmo shot through the room, dropping something to Kitsune on the way out. The teen held the gem up and grinned.

"Beautiful..." he whispered before turning back to the two awestruck heroes and lifting his goggles as he looked at Artemis with a wink. The girl blushed before scowling as the teen thief held his hand up and Red X shot past on his sky-board. Red X grabbed Kitsune's hand and the two flew up through the skylight. The two heroes were too awestruck to move an inch to stop them.

"What took ya so damn long?" Kitsune asked as he dropped from Red X's hold onto a rooftop once they were a good three miles away. Red X shrugged as he looked through the gems he had. Gizmo was rubbing his cheek against the ripped out security console he took from the guard room and had stars in his eyes.

"Sixty-thousand and a new Anti-thief 23X console! A dream come true!" the bald teen cried in ecstasy. Kitsune shook his head and pulled his goggles down around his neck and examined the Fox Tail with a gleam in his eyes. The moon shined through the gem and into his eyes, causing a bright red glow. Gizmo and Red X covered their eyes as the flare of light increased.

* * *

From across the city, Artemis looked up at a flash of red, "What the?"

"Yo Artemis!" Kid Flash shouted, "Let's go!"

"Y-Yeah, hold onto your goggles speed freak!" she called back looking one last time in the direction of the red glow that was now dying down before Artemis turned around and walked back to the ship. Her face heated up as she remembered how that villain winked at her. She hadn't flirted with an enemy before, it was weird. _He acted as though he really didn't want to fight...more like he wanted to talk,_ Artemis thought before she remembered that Robin had met him before. As she walked onto their ship, she took a spot next to Robin.

"Bird boy," she said, earning Robin's attention, "do you know someone that wears a black beanie with a metal plate on it?"

"Did he have goggles and a tight black and orange shirt along with fingerless gloves?" Robin asked her. With Artemis' nod, Robin palmed himself in the face, "I knew he had an ulterior motive! Dammit! Ugh, I've gotta make a call."

"Who was he?" Artemis asked as Robin activated his communicator. The boy wonder looked back at her.

"His name is Kitsune," Robin said, holding his communicator up to his ear, "He's an ok guy, but works with Catwoman a lot. I think they're related, not sure though."

Artemis nodded and went back to her controls, her mind was on the thief known as Kitsune. _Just what kind of Hero am I if I let a thief get away just because he's cute...I did NOT just think that!_

* * *

"...not...hey, he's waking up!" a voice said next to Naruto. He rubbed his head and winced.

"ugh...Gizmo?" He asked as he started to sit up. A hand landed on his shoulder.

"Easy there, Naruto," Xavier said from his left, "You passed out twenty minutes ago after the gem reacted with the moon. It's not as red as it used to be, but you started heating up, so we brought you back here."

"Ugh, my head," Naruto groaned as he held his head and slowly sat up, "Where's Giz?"

"Gizmo is on the phone with Ms. Kyle," Xavier said, "Or Michelle. I don't know which. Here, this tablet should help your headache."

Naruto took the pill and swallowed it whole before coughing violently. When he could speak again, he groaned out, "W-Water...Get me some damn water!"

Gizmo came in from the other room with a glass, "Here Snot. I heard you in the other room. Selena sound pissed about something...you did tell her about those rookies, right?"

Naruto drank down his water before smiling sheepishly, "Whoops?"

Xavier smacked him upside the head before going to hang his cloak up on the coat hanger and sitting down by the couch in a lounge chair. He looked over at the blonde and tossed him the gem and its necklace. The blonde caught them and looked disappointedly at the gem. It flashed again and his head throbbed.

"_**About damn time, where have you been kit?"**_ A voice asked in his mind. Naruto looked around before looking at the sunglasses wearing antihero and asked, "Did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" the other two chorused.

"_**They can't hear me Dumbass. Only you can,"**_ the voice said again. Naruto groaned and rubbed his head.

"Oh great...I've snapped!" he muttered. Gizmo gave him an amused glance while Xavier ignored him and instead looked over his gems. Naruto groaned before rubbing his head and closing his eyes.

* * *

-Mindscape-

Naruto walked through his penthouse and came across a red suit wearing man with short trimmed red hair and beard. His eyes were hidden by round black sunglasses.

"_**It's been a while, Kit,"**_ the man said with a devious smile, _**"Look at you...all grown up and without any jutsu."**_

"_You know me?"_ Naruto asked, readying himself for a fight. The man laughed.

"_**I've known you since the day you were born,"**_ the man said, his smile turning devious, _**"Let me show you!"**_

Suddenly images filled the blonde's mind. Fire; there was a lot of fire. And the screaming, it was horrible. Then the image of a blonde in his mid-twenties atop what looked to be a giant toad. In the blonde man's arms was another blonde, an infant. He had six scars on his face, three on each cheek.

Time moved on. People throwing stones, the feeling of anger and hurt, the horrible glares...it was all too real for Naruto. He kept watching though.

The deaths, all the deaths and the sobbing...It was his fault, people would shout in his mind. They called him a monster. They called him a demon. They cried for his blood.

And yet, he stayed kind towards them.

This boy this man was showing Naruto, it was weird. Subconsciously he knew the blonde was himself, and yet he was so different. So dumb...so naïve...Naruto hated him already.

"_No more! I can't take anymore!"_ the blonde shouted, falling to his knees. The man in red stood and put his hand on his shoulder.

"_**Too late, Kit. You escaped, but you lack the skills required to stay free. I will teach them to you in your sleep or whenever you wish so long as that gem is near you,"**_ the man said before he started to walk towards a door that didn't exist before, _**"I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune. You are my Kit. Enjoy my gifts. They don't come often."**_

* * *

-Reality-

Naruto gasped as he sat up. He scanned the room and found he was now in a plane with a sleeping cat on his stomach. He groaned.

"I'm so screwed," he muttered.

The clacking of heels alerted him to his guardian's presence and he winced when she spoke to him, "You're damn right you're screwed!"

Naruto turned his head to the right to see Selena looking at him, very upset and he smiled sheepishly and held the Tail up, "I got what I wanted."

"Without researching the object, asking any specialist about it specifically, trying to get more information on a routine stakeout of the area, basically," Selena said as she pushed him back onto the couch, "You acted like a rookie!"

"Only because I had someone else steal it for me!" Naruto said back at her coldly, "Gizmo got it and he got paid for it. We didn't get caught because I distracted the heroes myself! Is that a rookie move?"

Selena narrowed her eyes, "If Xavier and Micro weren't there, then yes. I'm not mad about any of that though!"

"...The whole not telling you about the heroes piss you off?" Naruto asked. Selena's glare intensified and Naruto shrunk back as Sylvia purred and rubbed against his stomach.

"I want every detail about the raid," Selena said, crossing her arms over her chest, "Now."

_It's going to be a long, long night,_ the blonde thought before he started relaying what happened to him on the heist.

* * *

-Days Later, YJHQ, Location Unknown-

"Damn it!" Artemis swore as the computer showed SEARCH FAILED across its screen. Aqualad, who was watching Superboy and Black Canary spar (again), walked over to see why the archer was so upset.

"What's wrong, Artemis?" he asked. The unmasked archer sat back in her chair and crossed her arms angrily.

"I'm trying to get more information on that Kitsune guy Robin told me a little bit about," she said, "But I can't find anything. The computer isn't taking any of my searches."

"Have you tried searching Gotham's Newspaper for Catwoman's associate?" the Atlantean asked. Artemis growled.

"I did," she muttered, "Nothing about this guy came up! It's usually centered on Catwoman or mentions the 'possibility' of another person fighting with her. It's like he was an illusion!"

"Well think about his name," Aqualad said, "'Kitsune'. It's the Japanese term for fox, right? Foxes are often related to as tricksters, thieves, and illusionists. Perhaps he's staying below the radar. Ask Robin more about him if you want...speaking of which, why do you want to know more about him?"

Artemis blushed and looked away, "He, uh, he saved my life once...after he tried to kill me...it was weird and confusing. Messed me up for my first few missions. I want to know why."

Red Tornado, who was nearby, approached and said with some humor, "It sounds as though you are more interested in _who_ the boy is. Are you attracted to him, Artemis?"

"Wha, No! O-Of course not!" Artemis said, blushing again and turning away. She clenched her jaw and looked to see everyone looking at her. Her blush increasing, Artemis growled to herself before storming off towards her motorcycle.

"I'm going on patrol," she grumbled before grabbing her mask and mounting her bike. She sped off towards the night. The teens all looked at her, and Megan started towards her own bike, but Red Tornado stopped her.

"Let her be," he instructed, "This is something she has to do on her own."

Artemis sped off towards Gotham, planning to meet with the only other person she could recall Kitsune having mentioned when he spoke to her.

"I just hope she isn't busy in the political area because of her father," the blonde muttered before she resumed focusing on her driving.

* * *

-Gotham City, 10:00 PM Friday-

Barbra Gordon, fifteen year old red headed teenager, A+ student, daughter of the Gotham Police Commissioner, and secret apprentice to Batman. After school let out and the sky turned dark, Barbra Gordon became Batgirl. As batgirl, she had a better connection to the darker side of Gotham, and an even better way to make sure her dad came home every night.

She was doing her nightly rounds and paused on a rooftop as a figure walked up to her.

"Hey..." the person said before leaning against the building next to her.

"Hey yourself," Batgirl said as she smiled, "Kitsune. I heard you were out of town."

"Yup," Kitsune said as he pulled a candy cigarette out and put it in his mouth, "Been robbing in Maine. Bird boy was up there, any idea why?"

"No," Batgirl pouted, "Batman wouldn't tell me."

"Odd," The goggle clad teen said, before he pulled something from his pocket, "Here."

He tossed an object to her and she caught it before smiling back at him, "You haven't changed a bit, Root."

"Don't use that name here, Barb," Kitsune said as he looked away from her, "So I got you another state memorabilia, so sue me."

"To me, you're still that dumpster diving boy that saved Batgirl from being raped," Batgirl replied as she pocketed the small corny Maine trinket and smiled back at him, "So I'll call you whatever I want, Root."

Kitsune was quiet for a minute before asking, "What do you know about a heroine named Artemis?"

"She's ok," Batgirl said looking back over the city, "Very talented, Batman almost took her in but Green Arrow took his chance away."

"Bullshit," Kitsune said, earning a look of disbelief on the heroine's face, "I've seen her and Arrow in action. I ain't stupid, Barb. They're related."

Batgirl looked back at the city, "Maybe...I'll ask Batman for you if you want."

"No, that brings in too many people. You're lucky Red X can be bribed."

"I know, I know. What else do you want to know?"

"Hold old is she?"

"...Are you going to ask her out?" Batgirl asked with a sly smile.

In the shadows, he blushed. "Maybe I am, maybe I just wanna know."

"She's a year younger than us, Root."

"Stop calling me that," Kitsune said annoyed.

"Sorry, habit. She's very cold when on the job, but usually more comfortable off. She does have a Bruce Wayne type of thing going for her."

"...well that helps me with two people now..."

"Aw damn it! Don't tell anyone, Root! Or I'll..." She trailed off, letting the threat hang.

"Relax Barb, relax. Everything's safe with me up in my head. I just want the answers."

Batgirl smiled back at the goggle clad teen, "That's all you've ever wanted."

A chuckle, "Yeah, sometimes I forget that you-Someone's coming. See ya around BG."

With that, Kitsune vanished back to his home. Batgirl waited before a light tap landed on the spot Kitsune was standing in earlier. They sat next to the crouching teen heroine. Batgirl smiled secretly before she looked over at her guest.

"Hello Artemis."

* * *

Shorter than the last chapter but it's working out well. I think so anyway. The next chapter, Naruto trains in his new abilities given to him by this Kyuubi no Kitsune, Artemis and Batgirl finish their heart to heart, and Selena Kyle's personal and night life get too close. So please R&R! PEACE!


	3. Episode 3

**Listening to Ode of a Superhero as I write this. So freaking ironic.**

**Some of you are asking for Batgirl and Naruto to get together as well, so I'll ask for a poll.**

**Just Naruto/Artemis or Naruto/Artemis/Batgirl?**

**The power...is yours! *Holds dead Captain Planet's head up* I have rights, not blue boy here. Mwahahaha**

**Disclaimer: I don't-*gags* NO! I won't say it! I'll never say "I don't own Naruto or Young Justice or any other DC characters!" You can't make me...Wait...**

**Chapter 3: Conflicting Situations**

* * *

-Gotham City, 10:23 PM-

Artemis sat next to her friend Batgirl and sighed, "Hey Barb..."

"I'm on the job, dammit..." Batgirl groaned playfully, "What if my dad finds me?"

"Touché..." Artemis said back, "But it's not my fault I happen to use my name as my identity. It just works."

"Yeah, yeah," Batgirl said, "Greek hunting goddess and what-not. You sure you don't have the hots for Wonder Woman?"

Artemis glared at the snickering redhead and huffed, "Well I was going to help you on patrol, but screw that."

"Damn...guess that means you want some information on someone I know," Batgirl said before turning on her 'Teenage Best Friend' mode, "So what's his name?"

Artemis gave her a suspicious look, "Who said it was about a guy?"

Batgirl grinned, "Come on, Arte, give me some credit. You know as well as I do that you never come to me if it isn't about something you can ask Green Arrow or Speed-erm, Red Arrow about. Remember four years ago when you had your first-?"

"Ok, ok I get it," Artemis said with a blush looking away, "Can we not discuss _that_ here? I wanted to ask you about one of Gotham's newest thieves..."

"Why would...Oh you ran into Kit!" Batgirl said knowingly as her eyes glossed over slightly, "Yeah...I can see why you want to know more about him. A nice ripped six-pack, well trained reflexes, a dazzling smile..."

"What? No! Geez, Barb," Artemis said blushing, "He's a criminal for goodness sakes! We're supposed to stop him! Here you are crushing on him..."

_You hypocritical bitch!_ Batgirl thought while in reality she asked with a raised brow, "So? He's not always a bad guy. He's just a thief, why are _you_ interested in him?"

"He, um...He got away from the team and Robin's being tight-lipped about it," the archer lied, "Yeah, and I can't find anything on the Net."

"Well no duh," the redhead replied, "He's minor league. Even Batman doesn't run into him unless Catwoman's involved. He always manages to stop our Bat-a-rangs somehow though..."

"He's got weapons training," Artemis said looking out over the city as she recalled her first interaction with the thief, "That much I know. What does Batman know about him?"

"Not much," Batgirl said as she scanned the city, "All we know is Kitsune stays within New York and away from major League members' areas. Heck, Robin had him in cuffs once and he ran up the side of a building. Just ran on up, like it was the ground. Robin and Batman think he's a meta-human...I'm starting to agree with them."

Artemis felt her jaw drop, "You're sure there weren't any technological enhancements? Maybe he's an android...Like that Cyborg guy."

"I doubt it," the redhead scoffed, "He may be good, but I've landed a few punches on him and there's no sign of technological enhancing features. I cut him on the shoulder once, got a DNA sample. Not enough for a match on anyone, but he doesn't have any genetic enhancements."

Artemis frowned, and asked the question her more feminine side was bugging her with, "...Is he always a flirt?"

"Totally," Batgirl replied with a grin, "It's so fun and relaxing. Not some evil doer's usual mantra, but like you're messing around with a friend. Heck, it's nights like tonight that I actually look for signs of him."

_Oh no way...Barbra Gordon is crushing on a criminal?_ The archer to Batgirl's left thought. The two of them sat silently for a moment before a car alarm went off below them. The two exchanged a look before dropping down and checking it out.

* * *

"Son of a bitch!" a deep voice swore as he picked himself from the car. Mammoth groaned as he brushed glass from his shoulder and looked back at the metamorphic glob of clay before him.

Mammoth was not having a good day. How was he supposed to know Clayface would be in this area? He was supposed to be threatening a gang for an old friend of his, but this was NOT in the agreement.

"Leave my mom out of this!" Clayface roared before chuckling with a slightly insane tone. He took a step forward before an arrow landed an inch in front of him. The shape shifter looked down to see a flashing blue light on the tip and he paled, "Oh crap."

The arrow exploded and froze a good portion of Clayface's arm. Clayface growled in annoyance as he looked up to see Artemis and Batgirl glaring at him. The monstrous former man grinned and leered at them.

"Looky here," Clayface said, "I get to kill Bane's boy _and_ the Bat's brats!"

"Like hell you're gonna kill me!" Mammoth roared as he charged the mass of clay. Clayface sighed in annoyance and split directly in half as Mammoth ran past him and through a brick wall and the wall after it. He recombined his body before shifting his left hand into a mace and throwing it towards the two teens on the ledge of a building.

"Move!" Batgirl shouted as she leapt away to the right. Artemis jumped to the left and twisted midair to fire several more rounds of ice arrows at Clayface.

Clayface recalled his left arm and morphed his right arm into a rock hard shield as the arrows approached. When they stuck, he shifted them in his shield-arm before shifting it into a crossbow. He grinned at the archer who looked shocked before shooting them back at her. Artemis dove to the right out of the way, the last arrow barely missing her left leg. She rolled into a kneeling position and fired off two more arrows, these ones being the explosive type.

Clayface smirked and tried the same tactic before being met with a good portion of his arm missing. The morphing glob roared in anger and shifted his arms into twin hammers, swinging wildly as he ran towards Artemis. Batgirl leapt at Clayface's back, only to be knocked aside by a surprise fist of clay emerging from his back. An eye appeared in the back of Clayface's head and mocked Batgirl in silent laughter. Batgirl flew a few feet before colliding with a wall and getting knocked unconscious.

"Batgirl!" Artemis shouted before dodging a clay axe being swung down at her head. She kept backing up and rolling out of the way of Clayface's arsenal, shooting off explosive arrows when she could. Her back connected with a brick wall and Artemis looked up at the shape shifting clay monster in fear.

"Looks like you're out of luck, Speedy," Clayface said with a sadistic grin as he morphed his two hands into one giant mass, "Say goodnight, Buttercup!"

"Ok," a voice said from above them. The two looked up to see a goggle and beanie wearing teen standing on a fire escape. He extended his hands from himself and a strong gust of wind shot from them.

Clayface, with his form more solid due to the density required to make the mega hammer, was blown away into the wall, turning into a mass of clay goo. He groaned while Kitsune pulled a small capsule out from his back pocket and tossed it at the reforming Clayface. The second the capsule connected, Clayface's eyes widened and he cried out, "NOOOoooooo!"

The capsule exploded and Clayface flash froze into an icicle. Kitsune grinned and ran his thumb over his nose, "Goodnight Buttercup."

He turned back to see Artemis looking back at him and went into a thinking pose, "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

Artemis clenched her teeth and slowly stood up, "Yes...Kitsune."

"Oh, right! Maine Museum, right? Man I got away from you guys easily!" Kitsune replied with a grin as he puffed his chest out a little bit. A moan came from their right and they both turned towards the sound.

"Batgirl!" Artemis shouted, remembering her injured friend. The archer ran towards the downed heroine and checked her pulse while Kitsune frowned in confusion.

"Batgirl?" he repeated, "What's she doing here without backup?"

"I'd ask you the same thing," a dark voice asked from behind him. Kitsune turned to see the Dark Knight himself standing behind him. The thief swallowed.

"I didn't steal anything, I swear!" Kitsune shouted as he backed away from The Bat, "I actually came here to check on Mammoth, but he's long gone by now."

"Why did you help them?" Batman asked with narrowed eyes. Kitsune waved one finger in front of him.

"Ah, ah, ah," he replied, "That'd be telling! It's much more fun for you to guess, Bats. Tell Bird Boy and Batgirl, once she wakes up, I said hi!"

With that, Kitsune turned and ran back up the side of the building, the soles of his feet glowing a light blue with each step. Batman narrowed his eyes as he followed the running apprentice of Catwoman before he looked back down at the two teen girls. He looked at the frozen form of Clayface before walking towards Batgirl and Artemis.

"Why aren't you with the rest of the team?" Batman asked Artemis. The archer looked up at her commanding officer.

"Wally was pissing me off so I decided to cool down," she said. The Dark Knight narrowed his eyes at her.

"In Gotham?" he asked. Artemis nodded hesitantly.

"Y-Yes," she said before clearing her throat, "Batgirl sent me a message asking if I'd want to help her patrol. I accepted. Besides, I'm not entirely needed for the team."

"You aren't entirely not needed either," Batman said as he lifted Batgirl up in a bridal style manner and pulling his grappling gun out, "I've got this covered. Get back to base. We'll discuss this later."

He shot his grappling gun at his jet and pulled himself and the unconscious Batgirl into the craft. The jet then lowered its own grappling claw and grabbed the frozen chunk of ice that was formally known as Clayface. Artemis followed the jet as it shot off towards the sky with her eyes and frowned before walking away.

* * *

"This is a nice ride," a voice said as Artemis neared her motorcycle. The archer looked up to see no one other than Kitsune leaning against it and she drew her bow on him.

"Why did you help us?" She asked with a suspicious glare locked on him. Kitsune's smile turned into a frown and he uncrossed his arms, standing straight up before her.

"A guy can't help his friend?" he asked. Earning a further drawn arrow aimed at him and a narrowed glare locked on his person, Kitsune sighed and said, "I like to keep an eye on Batgirl sometimes, ok? We're pretty tight."

"Isn't that against some hidden code?" Artemis asked him. Kitsune smiled slightly.

"Nah," he said waving her question off, "I'm just chivalrous. Gotta do with what ya are."

"What was that wind?" Artemis asked, her bow not dropping its tension nor its' target, "And that bomb, how did you make a flash-freezing bomb?"

"I'll answer one question as I'm on a schedule," The goggled boy said as he walked towards the building on their right, "The flash-freeze bomb was courtesy of Dr. Victor Fries for the diamond I gave him a couple of days ago. With that, I earned a couple of those bombs and I'm currently studying them for reproduction purposes. Don't worry, I only use them against major problems."

Artemis wasn't convinced, "How do you know I'm not a major problem?"

"Cuz you're too cute to be a problem," Kitsune said cheekily, causing the archer to flush bright red behind her mask, "That, and I can deflect any shot with my own weapons."

"And the wind?" Artemis asked, trying to get control of her emotions as she looked at the teen in the streetlight. She swallowed as she saw just how tight the shirt he was wearing was and where the curves in his arms were.

_My god, he's almost as defined as Superboy, but without the look of a professional wrestler,_ Artemis thought as she studied the teen. Kitsune's smile grew and Artemis felt her heart speed up.

"That's a tale for another time, Arte," Kitsune said as he turned and went towards the building. The next thing Artemis saw made her eyes wide and her grip on her bow to slack. Kitsune raised his foot and pressed it against the wall, before bringing the other one up and standing on the wall. He was literally defying gravity as he walked up the wall without a care in the world. Artemis swore she even heard him humming 'Another Way to Die'.

_This guy...He's a whole new thing,_ the archer thought before shaking herself from her stupor and mounting her motorcycle. She put her helmet on and revved the engine before heading back towards her team's base of operations.

As Artemis rode back towards her base, she thought, _Maybe Robin can give me more information on Kitsune...And if not, well I know who can get in touch with him._

* * *

-Gotham City, Next Day-

Selena Kyle walked through the halls of Wayne Enterprises. She glanced at every nook and cranny and made mental notes of them in case of needing an escape route. As she neared the elevator, a security guard got in her way. As usual, more recently than before, her heart stopped.

"Allow me," he said, pressing the button for up before he returned to his usual spot, "He's just getting out of a meeting and waiting for you, Ms. Kyle."

"Thank you Paul," Selena said with a smile before she entered the elevator. Her stomach bubbled. She looked at a small makeup mirror in an effort to calm her nerves.

_You can do this, Selena,_ Selena thought to herself, _Naruto's counting on you to make this relationship work. We have to get out of this business for his sake, and the best way to do that is to make this work. This is for Naruto, this is for Naruto, this is-Oh, who am I kidding? I've fallen head over heels for this man...Ugh, I blame Naruto._

The raven haired beauty looked up at the camera in the corner of the elevator and smiled slightly as she remembered Naruto's and Bruce's secondary meeting.

* * *

-Flashback-

"So...you're Bruce Wayne," Naruto said uneasily as he sat on a park bench next to the billionaire. Catwoman watched the two from atop a building more than a mile away through high tech binoculars. She smiled as she heard Bruce chuckle through the mic she put on Naruto's hoodie.

"I am," Bruce said, "And you're Selena's ward."

"...You make it sound so dirty..."

Catwoman bit her lip in an effort to not burst out in laughter or scream in frustration. Bruce, however, burst out laughing.

"I did, didn't I?" he said with a small smile, "So what do you like to do?"

Catwoman watched and listened intently as Naruto mused for a moment. _Don't you dare say go raiding museums with Selena. Don't do it._

"I like to go look at art with Selena," Naruto said, making Catwoman swear quietly, "And I like to work on my Parkour, kung fu, and my...promise you won't turn me in to the police?"

Catwoman instantly went on the edge while Bruce seemed to harden his resolve slightly. When the billionaire nodded, Naruto continued in a whisper, "I hack Lex Luthor's bank account to buy ridiculous items."

Bruce's reaction was priceless as he smiled and whispered back, "Same here."

-Flashback End-

* * *

The elevator dinged and Selena stepped out, walking towards Bruce's office. She smiled at the secretary, but blinked when she saw she wasn't there. Selena slowly opened the door, to peek and make sure Bruce was done with his meeting. What she saw, needless to say, shocked her.

"I don't know what to tell you Bruce," Superman's voice said, "J'onn hasn't seen anything like it. This footage is new, even to us. John says no Lantern has run into a person with any ability like this."

A voice Selena dreaded and yet loved to hear replied, "I know, Clark. But this boy...Whatever he can do, I doubt Catwoman has taught him. He's good. _Real_ good."

"...Luthor maybe?" Superman's voice asked. Selena didn't want to risk getting caught, so she put a transmitter on the left door on the inside of the office near the floor. It was a specific design Naruto's friend Micro had made, nearly invisible without prior knowledge to it, and it only worked on a specific frequency bounced off several other restricted frequencies. Selena shut the door and immediately left, putting an ear bud in her ear to listen in on the conversation.

"_I doubt it,_" Batman's voice said, "_Lord knows what would happen if he knew about this kid._"

"_Ever try and bring him into the League?_"

"_..._"

"_I'll take that as a no._"

"_He's too young to be a clone, and the DNA strand I managed to get doesn't match to any known heroes or villains with these powers..._"

"_Want me to talk to him?_"

"_No. I don't know enough yet...Give me a bit longer before trying to recruit him. Don't get your hopes up though._"

"_Why not Bruce?_"

"_If he works with Catwoman, helped Mr. Freeze, and stole a priceless jewel from under Young Justice's watch, he can't be trusted._"

"_Everyone can be trusted, Bruce. They've just got to earn it._"

"_That's your opinion._"

Selena pulled the bud from her ear, her heart cracking. She growled as she exited the elevator, getting a look of understanding from Paul. The guard had seen his fair share of Bruce Wayne heartbreaks in his time, and with a relationship that had been going for a good year and a half, it had to hurt.

"That bastard..." Selena said as she stormed out of her building to her car, fighting the tears threatening to spill down her face.

* * *

-Wayne's Office-

"Are you sure that act was wise, Bruce?" Superman asked as Batman crushed the bug Selena left on his door, "Despite her being one of your...enemies, you and Selena had something special. Do you think letting her know who you are was wise?"

"...It had to be done," replied the Dark Knight, "And now I know who this Kitsune is."

"Sometimes I worry about you, Bruce," Superman said shaking his head, "Lord knows I wouldn't do that to Lois or Jimmy."

"I'm not you, Clark," Batman shot back quietly, "It's too dangerous to let anyone, Selena Kyle or otherwise, get too close to me."

"One day you're going to regret it, Bruce," Superman said as he walked towards the window and flew away. Batman looked at where the Man of Steel once stood before pressing an intercom button.

"Red Tornado," Batman said, "Get Young Justice to the Cave. I'm about to assign them a mission. Make sure that Artemis is there."

"_Right away Batman,_" Red Tornado replied. Batman released the button on the intercom and unmasked himself before he pulled a drawer on his desk open and looked at a small velvet box. Bruce Wayne, clad in his Batman disguise aside from the mask, picked the box up and looked at it with a tear in his eye.

"...It had to be done..." he repeated to himself quietly as he crushed the box in his hand.

* * *

-Kyle Residence, 4:00 PM-

Selena had calmed her resolve enough in her drive and now she had one thought on her mind. She entered her apartment to hear simulated swordplay echo from the living room.

"Naruto?" she called out, wondering if her was home. If he was, that was good. If not...well, she'd have to go find him.

"Hey Selena!" Naruto said from his spot in the living room playing his PS3, "No, no, no, no, DAMN! Ah fuck...damned minotaur..."

Selena walked into the living room and looked at the blonde that was staring intently at the TV as he played God of War III. His fingers were flying in a blur on the controls and in his mouth was his 'thinking cig' as Selena called it. It was no more than a small three inch piece of plastic the blonde chewed on, a side effect of his early malnourishment the STAR Labs scientist said. Naruto adored it, it was his security blanket, aside from Selena or Sylvia.

"Naruto," Selena said as neutrally as possible, "How would you like to do a specific raid?"

"When?" the blonde asked, not looking up from his game.

"Two days from tonight," Selena said with a small smile. Naruto's thinking stick switched to the other side of his mouth.

"What are we looking for?" he asked before he started button smashing to win a combo fight.

Selena's smile grew slightly sadistic, "The Wayne family bonds."

The game suddenly paused and Naruto looked at Selena with a raised eyebrow. He studied her face for a good minute before his eyes narrowed.

"Can we move it to tonight?" he asked through gritted teeth. Selena smiled and patted his cheek.

"You're a sweet boy," she said before pulling him into a hug. Naruto hugged her back, clenching his fists to keep from crushing her. The art dealer/super cat burglar shook with silent sobs as she clung to her 'son'. They stayed liked that until Selena stopped crying and looked down at the PS3 and back at Naruto.

"Game night tonight?" she asked. Naruto's smile grew and he pulled his cell phone out.

"I'll order the pizza if you want," the blonde said, earning a laugh from his mother/sister figure. The two of them spent the night relaxing playing PS3, eating pizza and junk food, and watching a horror movie called 'Sabertooth'. The film was about a giant Smilodon that escaped from the genetic research facility that had created it and it went on a rampage. Naruto and Selena adored monster movies, especially ones based in the woods.

"I swear that was the best one so far," Naruto said with a grin, "I loved the part where it ripped that girl's head off...just a single chomp!"

"If only that _purrrfect_ creature was still alive today," Selena sighed before she yawned and fell asleep. The blonde next to her grinned as a thought came to his mind as he pulled a blanket out and covered her with it, kissing her cheek before he left the room. Sylvia saw her master start to leave the room and started to follow before he waved her off. The black cat mewled in confusion before dropping that idea and going to curl up at her mistress' side.

* * *

Naruto sat in front of his computer and opened a private channel with one of his many...associates. The webcam on his computer activated and he came face to face, sort of, with a certain genius.

"Hello Doctor. I was hoping we could help each other once again," the blonde said while the frozen screen of his acquaintance. The voice that replied was chilled and sounded colder than possible, but the blonde knew it was a somewhat-happy tone.

"Ah, my young friend with the...extraordinary abilities," the doctor said, "What can I do for you?"

"Your wife is frozen in cryogenic time, yes?" the blonde asked. A hesitant nod and the narrowing of red eyes was his response. Naruto grinned, "What if I could assist you in curing her?"

"You know of a way? How? Tell me!" the man seemed frantic. Naruto held his hands up in defense.

"Chill, Frosty," Naruto said, "I just want one thing from you."

"What? I'll do anything!" the doctor shouted into the screen. Naruto smiled kindly.

"Can you recreate a Smilodon for me?" he asked, "My...teacher has been through a horrible time and I want to give her something that she can relate to. Even if the project fails, I will assist you in finding a cure, provided you keep researching a way for me to get a Smilodon."

"...A day of research is all I ask before we meet," The doctor answered, "I want to make sure your word is worthy."

"In your email is a breakdown of my molecular structure," Naruto interrupted, "I have a...friend that told me about a hidden healing gene within my DNA. If you could isolate and reproduce this gene..."

"...Nora could be saved..." the doctor replied. The frozen ice burg that hid the man's face melted away and Naruto smiled at him. Mr. Freeze smiled slightly at the blonde.

"Thank you," the cold man said. To which Naruto replied, "What are friends for?"

**

* * *

**

AN: The means to an end. Next chapter; That's a

_**Big**_** Kitty. Naruto and Victor Fries team up in an effort to heal two women important to them, but will Batman leave them well enough alone in order to let them do their job? R&R**


	4. Episode 4

**So it seems you all like the idea of a threesome between Batgirl, Artemis, and Naruto. Okie dokie! Just so you all know, the review that sold it goes to cmcwiki: "I vote for the threesome!"**

**Priceless quote that shall be used by me for eternity. **

**Now, someone said that Mr. Freeze wouldn't drop his 'evil' acts just because Naruto would help save his wife. If you go back through the nineties, where Mr. Freeze developed his tragic (and more Fan approved) past, you will see Freeze's goals are always surrounded by gaining enough diamonds, money, power to save Nora. If Batman truly wanted to stop him, he would have offered his help in saving the frozen Nora Fries the first time he encountered Freeze. So I believe Naruto could change Freeze if he put his heart to it, he IS Naruto after all.**

**Whoever asked what a Smilodon is...IT'S A SABRETOOTH TIGER! Geez...**

**Disclaimer: I-I...I-I...Idon'townNarutooranyDCcharacters! There I said it! *sobs***

**Episode 4: That's a **_**BIG**_** Kitty**

* * *

-Bat cave, 10:55 PM Wednesday-

"His name is Kitsune," Batman said pressing a button on his remote activating a holographic image of said thief. Young Justice all looked at the image with various looks. His head was tilted and he had his signature grin on his face. The goggles he wore were black and orange, hiding his eyes. Batman pressed another button and continued, "I learned from Robin that you encountered him on your mission in Maine. What upsets me is that you, Superboy, didn't even attempt to go after him."

"I...was caught off guard," Superboy admitted reluctantly before narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms, "It won't happen again."

"Make sure it doesn't," Batman replied before turning on Kid Flash and Aqualad, "And where were you two?"

Aqualad stood straighter and answered, "We were getting...refreshments, sir."

Batman stared at the two of them, causing Kid Flash to squirm under his gaze, before turning away, "Don't let it happen again."

"Yes sir/Batman," the two said in sync. Batman looked at Megan who looked peeved.

"What's your excuse?" he asked her. Megan crossed her arms, similar to Superboy.

"He tricked me," the alien replied with slight anger in her voice, "He disguised his thoughts when he was in the building and–"

"This is pointless," Artemis said from her spot against the table. Everyone looked over at her with questioning gazes. She held her fist up and extended her finger, "First, we were never informed of this guy by Robin or you, Batman, so we couldn't even expect him. Second, he seems to be developing powers all the time, so you aren't even trying to keep tabs on him. And third, he assisted Batgirl and I when we were fighting Clayface, so we can't even argue that he's a completely bad guy. Why are we having this argument in the first place?"

Batman nodded, "Good question. The reason is I was tipped off to a new exhibit in the Museum of Natural History, and I have a feeling he'll be showing up there sometime soon to steal it."

"What's the exhibit?" Robin asked, cutting Batgirl off from her question. Batgirl crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Batman. He was unusually obsessed with this common jewelry and art thief. Barbra made a note of talking to Root when she had the chance.

"It's a new Smilodon exhibit," the Dark Knight said, showing them the exhibit, "This was recently found in Wyoming and is priceless. No doubt Catwoman is going to want to get her hands on it, so she's going to ask Kitsune to help her. Your job is simple; detain Kitsune long enough for J'onn to get a mental lock on him."

"Why are we going after him and not Catwoman?" Kid Flash asked, "If she's the brains, shouldn't we go after her?"

"No," Batman said, "The League is worried he might suddenly switch to the big leagues and with his growing powers, we want a location on him at all times. He could become as dangerous as Joker if left unattended."

A slamming door echoed throughout the cave and everyone noticed that Batgirl had left. Artemis started to go after her, but Batman stopped her, "Robin will deal with her."

Robin nodded and left after his partner in crime-fighting. Artemis looked back at the image of Kitsune and sighed quietly. _Would you really become as bad as Joker? Somehow I doubt that, and I think Barbra does too..._ she thought.

* * *

-Wayne Manor, 11:00 PM Wednesday-

_Root would NEVER be as bad as Joker!_ Barbra thought angrily as she stormed towards her own room in the large manor, _Something is wrong with Bruce if he would even think...then again he barely knows Root like I do...What do I do? Do I go behind Bruce's back and warn Root or do I wait until he comes to me to warn him? It could be days before Root tries to come to me for questions and-_

"Barbra?" Dick Grayson's voice asked from behind her, "Yo, Barbra! Where're you going?"

Barbra looked at Dick with a smile before turning back towards the direction she was heading, "I've gotta call my dad, it's past curfew and I've got to have an alibi."

"Oh...Ok, well hurry up!" Dick said as he put his mask back on and running back towards the cave. Barbra smiled before frowning and pulling her cellphone out and pressing the number 9 on her speed dial.

"_Hello Barb._" A voice said on the other line that made her heart beat faster. Barbra smiled as she pulled her own mask back on.

"We need to talk, Root," she said. A crash was heard from the background and Kitsune swore.

"_Can't it wait til tomorrow? I'm a little busy-Would you watch where you're freaking aiming that thing! Damn man..._" Kitsune's voice said as he talked to someone else near him. Barbra's eyes widened before she ducked into the restroom.

She turned back to her phone and hissed, "Are you _stealing_ something right now?"

"_...No..._" was his hesitant reply. Barbra cursed under her breath.

"Hold on, don't leave the museum until I get there," she said. Kitsune started to ask how she knew where he was but Barbra interrupted him, "The League is coming after you! Batman has YJ coming after you. Get your sweet ass out of there before I have to come kick it out!"

"_...If it was any other time I'd swear you were flirting with me. Gotta go, see you when ya get here-Oi! Don't touch that-...nice...REAL nice,_" Kitsune growled as sirens blared in the background. He hung up and Batgirl cursed before heading back to the cave. She had to get back there before someone came looking for her again.

* * *

-Gotham Museum of Natural History, 11:15 PM-

"Why are we stealing a bunch of bones for the boss again?" an Iceman asked. Kitsune grumbled as he scraped some of the bone into a specimen jar.

"_We_ aren't," he replied, "_You_ are. _I'm_ getting samples. This would be much easier if Batman wouldn't be on his way!"

A crash from the ceiling made Kitsune swear under his breath and mumble, "Correction, if he wasn't already _here_."

He slid back out from underneath the pouncing bones of the Smilodon and looked up to see the four Icemen he brought with him aiming their ice cannons at Young Justice and Batman. Upon seeing the Dark Knight, Kitsune swore again.

"Drop the bones and surrender!" Kid Flash shouted, "Or I'll...Hey wait...I _know_ you!"

Kitsune felt his eye twitch in annoyance, "What do you know...it looks like idiots _can_ have friends."

Kid Flash narrowed his eyes before rushing towards him. Kitsune pocketed the sample jar and leapt back before extending his hands and exclaiming, "Run through _this_!"

Winds at the strength of a hurricane appeared from nowhere and sent Kid Flash flying backwards into a Triceratops exhibit. The teen groaned while Kitsune landed on his feet. He looked over to see the Icemen fighting off Batman, Robin and Aqualad with their ice cannons. A tingle in the back of his head told him to move.

Superboy roared in frustration as he missed his target. He looked up to see the beanie wearing thief seemingly glaring back at him.

"Dude, talk about anger issues," Kitsune said to the clone. Superboy leapt at him and crashed into the wall while Kitsune ran to the ceiling. He ran towards the open hole in the ceiling when a green faced girl appeared before him.

"Whoa!" Kitsune shouted as he skidded to a stop and backed up. Megan rotated herself upside down and cocked her head.

"Why do you run?" she asked with a smile. Kitsune grinned.

"Positive attitude, I like it. Too gullible though, Martian Girl," he said as he held his palm out, "Bye-bye!"

"Bye-bye!...Wait a minute-AHH!" Megan shouted as she was sent flying backwards by a gust of wind. Artemis saw Megan connect with the wall before she fell and saw Superboy charging a jump. The blonde archer shouted to the cloned hero, "NO! Superboy, get Megan!"

Superboy saw Megan falling and cursed before changing his target and leapt after the falling alien. Artemis, seeing Megan was safe, turned her attention back at Kitsune, who was once again running on the ceiling. Pulling an explosive arrow out and drawing her bow, Artemis immediately aimed for a fatal hit. What she didn't see was Batgirl readying her bolas. The two girls released their projectiles at the same time. The arrow connected with the bolas and exploded on impact, sending Kitsune skidding across the ceiling. He looked down at the two girls.

"I try and get a date and _this_ is the response?" he shouted, gaining everyone's attention, "I'd hate to see what you two would do to a pervert!"

The orange and black clad boy dashed to the ceiling and flipped through the window. He looked back down at Batman and shouted, "Oh well, Bats! Almost got me that time...if not killed me...But, I'd like to say it'll be a cold day in Hell before you catch me!"

With that and a final wave to Batgirl and Artemis, Kitsune left the Icemen alone to deal with the aggravated group of heroes. Batman pulled his grappling gun out and shot it at the hole. As he started to fly towards the hole, Kitsune reappeared at the hole and tossed a kunai at the rope, cutting it and causing Batman to fall to the ground. Batman landed after a flip to steady himself and glared back up at the roof where Kitsune was twirling a kunai innocently.

"I almost forgot you could do that! Ta-ta now!" the teen thief said as he left once again.

* * *

-Abandoned Factory, 1:00 AM-

"Hey Frostbite," Kitsune said as he patted the arctic wolf on the head, "Where's your master, huh boy? Where is he?"

The wolf barked happily as Kitsune started to play with him. An amused chilled voice said, "I'm here, Kitsune. Do you have your sample?"

"I do, how's your own experiment going?" Kitsune asked the cryogenicist. Freeze melted his ice burg helm and the corner of his mouth turned upwards in a smile just slightly.

"It's going well, thank you. With this data, I can cure the disease Nora has and possibly myself," Freeze said. Kitsune pulled his goggles down and his beanie off as he frowned.

"Aw..." Naruto said, "That blows...I like hanging with you Freeze. You're so _cool_."

A chuckle emerged from the frozen man as he held his hand out for the sample. Naruto dug into his back pocket before pulling the petri dish out and giving it to the scientist. Freeze then went back to his computer while Naruto was content with just playing with the Artic wolf Frostbite. Suddenly, he was bombarded by a booming voice.

_**Kit!**_ The one called Kyuubi shouted. Naruto held his head a moment before patting the concerned looking wolf on the head. He smiled before throwing an icicle for Frostbite who barked before going after it. Naruto walked past Freeze, who was engrossed in the sample he was given, and sat next to Freeze's pet Polar Bear, Tundra. He patted the bear on the side, earning a glance from the massive bear before it laid back down. Naruto leaned against Tundra before looking at the roof and thinking _What do you want, Kyuubi?_

_**I think being near the Frozen man may have unlocked a new ability. You have mastered your manipulation of chakra well enough that you can manifest water, now add this to your control over wind and you could possibly create a blizzard. Have you been trying that attack I informed you of?**_ Kyuubi asked.

_That spiraling ball thing? Yeah, why?_ Naruto asked as he held his hand out and made a mini swirling ball of energy. He looked at it and remembered that Kyuubi told him the energy he could manifest was called Chakra. With the use of chakra, he could do more things usually only done by the super-powered, such as his wall-walking and wind control. Kyuubi also told him eventually he'd be able to cast illusions that would be real enough to cause harm to the person affected.

_**Good, now deactivate that and focus on making water until you master it**_, Kyuubi instructed, _**If you do this you can possibly walk across water as unconsciously as you do walls. Good luck. I'll speak to you once you master water walking.**_

The voice vanished just as Freeze cried out, "Eureka!"

Naruto stood and pulled his beanie on before walking over to Freeze, "What'cha got for me, Frosty?"

Ignoring the name, Freeze gestured to the computer, "I _can_ recreate a Smilodon! The data from your DNA helps me with that. If I combine the genomes that create your healing factor along with the Smilodon DNA then we can possibly use an incubator to recreate the fanged cat. I've also found the correct sequence to apply to Nora's DNA to heal her!"

"Way to go Doc!" Naruto said patting the man on his shoulder, "We might want to lay low for a good couple of days or so until I'm sure I lost Batman."

"Of course, but we could always try incapacitating him like I suggested," Freeze said as his head was covered once again by an ice burg and his eyes glowed red. Naruto chuckled.

"I think the ice has gotten to your head, Doc," the blonde said with a smile, "If Batman doesn't suspect us of doing anything, then he doesn't have a reason to come after us."

"Ah, yes, yes..." Freeze said before putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Forgive me, I'm so used to having to do away with Batman that..."

"S'okay Doc," Naruto said with a grin, "By the time we're done, you'll be back to normal, happy and with Nora and I'll be the proud owner of a Smilodon. Everyone wins!"

* * *

-Monday, Gotham High 12:30PM-

"Ugh..." Naruto groaned as he rested his head on his arms on the lunch table, "I fucking hate Batman..."

"Welcome to our nightmare," Jinx said with a small smile, "Is he really that hell bent on going after you?"

"Yes," was the muffled reply. Xavier and Micro exchanged a look before Xavier caught a girl staring at their blonde friend's back. The mysterious teen shoved Naruto's shoulder, earning an annoyed groan from the blonde.

"Oi! You've got Gordon's daughter checking you out," Xavier whispered. Naruto sat up and looked over his shoulder to see the redheaded Gordon junior year girl flush red and turn back to her table. Naruto raised an eyebrow before looking back at Xavier.

"So? Why would I want to get involved with Barbra Gordon?" he asked, despite having his own reasons he wanted to know why they should think he should do it. Xavier scoffed.

"One: Hottest chick in the school, topping the cheerleaders from the senior year," the glasses wearing boy said holding a finger up. He extended another, "Two; she's GORDON's daughter. We could get away with anything if we corrupt her!"

Naruto smirked and thought, _too bad for you idiots that she runs with Bats._ Outwardly he said, "Yeah, but she's Gordon's daughter. That's a death wish."

"Oh...if you don't want her then, can I have her?" the boy asked eagerly. Micro snickered and Jinx shook her head in embarrassment. Naruto narrowed his eyes and growled threateningly. Xavier's smile dropped slightly and he swallowed.

"O-Or we'll just stay away from her," Xavier said meekly. Naruto grunted out an unheard reply before lying his head back down. He had to sleep now or he'd never get any rest. Tonight was THE night.

* * *

-Freeze's Hideout, 9:20 PM-

"Hello Frosty!" Kitsune said as he entered the hideout, "How's it going?"

"I hope you don't mind that I went ahead and worked on Nora first," Freeze said from his spot near his computer, Tundra and Frostbite at his feet. Kitsune grinned.

"That's ok Doc," the teen said as he pulled his goggles down, "Any change in her health?"

The blue skinned man smiled slightly, "If only for the better. Your Smilodon is also growing in that tank, and I'm currently keeping tabs on both of their...hmm, what's this?"

Naruto frowned, "What's what, Doc?"

"The molecular structure of the Smilodon is multiplying at an advanced rate, almost as if...oh no! The steroids I added to your healing genome are developing too rapidly! I can't control the growth!" Freeze said as he entered code after code in the computer. Naruto looked over at the tank containing the Smilodon and swallowed.

"Doc..." he whispered as he pulled his goggles back on, "Lower Nora's tank and get the data to a safe area."

"Why should-?"

"Just do it Doc!" Kitsune shouted as he pulled a kunai out, "Which tube is giving the cat my genes?"

Freeze looked up, "The darkest grey thin one!"

Kitsune threw his kunai at the tube, efficiently cutting the healing genome off from the growing cat. Nora's tank started lowering into the ground and fissures appeared in the Smilodon's tank. Kitsune looked back to see Freeze downloading the data onto a disk for later use and ran to stand between Nora's tank and the Smilodon's. Another crack appeared in the giant cat's tank as it twitched and its chest started breathing faster.

"Well...shit..." muttered the blonde as the tank shattered and the cat dropped onto its feet. It hacked up the tubes attached in its mouth and yanked the others off its body. With dark marks from where the tubes were and cerulean blue eyes, the giant toothed cat growled menacingly at the goggle wearing thief.

"Freeze!" Kitsune shouted.

"Get it out of here!" Freeze said, "I need to save the data and relocate Nora!"

"Done!" Kitsune shouted as he growled at the giant cat before charging it and shoving it through the window with his shoulder. The two landed on the ground outside of the abandoned factory, the giant cat growling at the teen.

"Easy now," Kitsune said, "Don't do anything that either of us will–"

A giant light appeared on the both of them and Robin's voice said, "Don't move, Kitsune! We have you...is that a Smilodon?"

"Dammit!" Kitsune shouted at the boy wonder as the cat darted off towards the city. Kitsune shot after it, leaping up to the top of the abandoned warehouses and clicked a button on the side of his goggles.

_Gotta love these tracking goggles,_ the teen thought with a grin as he followed the cat with his eyes as it darted to the right down an alley. Kitsune leapt after the Sabertooth Tiger and barely noticed a red and yellow blur on his left.

"Hey there!" Kid Flash said, gaining the young thief's attention. Kitsune scowled.

"I don't have time for this!" he growled raising his left hand at the speeding teen hero, "Go AWAY!"

A gust of wind shot at Kid Flash, sending him skidding towards the end of the warehouse. The teen tripped as he tried to backpedal to regain his balance and fell off the roof.

Kitsune grinned, "Much better...Now where's that cat?"

Scanning the area, he saw a trash can get knocked from an alleyway and heard a scream. With a scowl, Kitsune turned after the screams and leapt towards them. He stopped on a building before Gotham Central Park and scanned the area as he pressed a button on his goggles.

"Freeze, you glorious genius. If I wasn't straight as a 2X4 I could kiss you," mumbled the thief as he activated his night vision. He scanned the area before grinning and running down the building.

* * *

Artemis scowled as she lost her shot and ran after the thief. She wanted answers, and dammit, she was going to get them! First she had to stop the giant cat that was rampaging through Gotham Central Park. Then she'd get answers from the goggle clad thief.

"_Artemis, go around the right side of the park and swoop in,_" Aqualad's voice said from her communicator, "_I'll go in from the left and Superboy...has gone ahead...idiot._"

Artemis smirked and turned to the right of the park, scanning ahead for the entrance before leaping over the wall and looking for the thief that had been occupying her mind for the past few weeks.

_Where is he?_ The blonde archer thought. Her question was answered by the sound of Superboy's angered roar along with a roar of a giant cat. Artemis ran towards the battlefield to see Superboy's shirt torn up along with his pants and cuts on his body. The goggle clad thief known as Kitsune was slightly winded apparently and the giant cat was standing between the two of them. Artemis aimed her stun arrow at the cat and watched how it played out.

* * *

"Freaking cat!" Superboy snarled before he rushed it. Kitsune raised his hands and shot another gust of wind at the clone. The teenage thief panted before standing and slowly walking towards the cat.

"Easy now, big fella," he said as the cat growled at him, "I'm not gonna hurt you."

The cat swung it's massive paw at the teen, causing him to jump back and sigh. He ran his hand over his head and sighed.

"Guess it's going to be like that, huh?" The boy asked, "Ah well, can't say I didn't try."

Kitsune raised one hand and a small cyclone of wind surrounded his arm as he made a fist. He jumped over the Smilodon, its attempted chomp missing by centimeters, before he drove his fist into the ground. A large twister appeared from where his fist connected and expanded, eventually lifting both the cat and Superboy up from the ground, the latter exclaiming vulgarities in shock.

"What a potty mouth," muttered Kitsune before he shot a gust of wind at the cloned hero, sending him away from the twister. The thief turned and walked away, the twister staying around him with the giant cat swirling around him in shock. An arrow imbedded itself in front of him and Kitsune groaned.

"Oh come on..." he muttered before turning to face the archer, "Can't you just let me go? I'm freaking exhausted and I want to get this guy locked up."

"We can handle that," Aqualad said as he emerged from the trees along with Kid Flash, Megan, and Robin. Kitsune pinched his nose before slowly ending the twister and gently dropping the cat on the ground. The teen thief walked to the cat and hoisted it onto his shoulder, straining slightly. The team of heroes were all shocked at the show of strength and Kitsune grinned.

"See ya, Wannabes," he said as he waved two fingers in a mock salute, vanishing in a swirl of leaves. The team of Young Justice all stood shocked, their eyes locked on where their adversary once was.

"What...What just happened?" Robin asked after a moment. Artemis and the others couldn't find a reasonable response.

* * *

-Kyle Residence, 10:35PM-

"I'm home!" Kitsune shouted as he came in through the side window and laid the cat on the couch. Bemused, the giant cat regained its bearings before growling at the blonde, considering it was too weak from shock to do anything else.

"Are you that-What is that?" Selena shouted as she walked into the room. The giant cat growled louder once again before Kitsune lightly patted it's head.

"Easy," he said lightly as he pulled his goggles down and smiled at Selena, "Selena, this is a Smilodon. I, er, sort of cut a deal with Mr. Freeze to get him for you to cheer you up after your...you know, separation from he who shalt be named."

Selena blinked before squealing in glee and glomping the confused giant cat, "Thank you, Naruto! Oh, mummy loves you, Fang."

"Fang?" Naruto repeated as he put his goggles and beanie away, "Really, Selena?"

"He is MY Smilodon and I get to name him," Selena said before rubbing her face against the giant cat's, earning a loud purr from it, "Thus he is my Fang."

Naruto laughed before yawning, "Well, it was a lot of work getting him for you, so I'm gonna hit the sack. Goodnight, Selena. Welcome to the family Fang."

As the blonde walked into his room, he noticed he was being followed by Sylvia and smiled before picking the black cat up and petting her. As he collapsed on his bed and pet the black cat on his stomach, Naruto couldn't help but think how exciting it was to create Fang. As his mind wandered, he continued to think about how he could further help those that were driven to insanity in Gotham. Eventually, the lack of sleep got to the blonde and he yawned once again before falling asleep, the last image in his head being two girls that often opposed him.

**

* * *

**

Aww...I loved writing that. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy. Next Episode, Artemis seeks out Naruto, the blonde himself trying to think of what to do. Batman is still on about catching the newest Gotham menace. And a certain clown makes his appearance. Episode 5: Obsessions


	5. Episode 5

**...Almost 225 people favor this story...Amazing...Simply Amazing. No real questions or asinine replies from me this time. Oh, aside from this: Doomsday (alien with red eyes, grey face, and is an evil overlord of an alternate universe I think) is Superman's archenemy right? Then who the hell was the bad guy that killed Superman in his comic 'Superman Doomsday'? I could look it up, just too lazy and, again, more of a Marvel/Dark Horse guy.**

**Disclaimer: Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No its *gets tackled by the trademark police* FUCK YOU! FREEDOM OF SPEECH! I SHALL NOT BE SILENCED! I WILL OWN DC **_**AND **_**NARUTO ONE DAY!**

**Episode 5: Obsessions**

* * *

-Kyle Residence, 9:00AM Saturday-

The alarm rang and a drowsy hand lifted from the side of the bed to silence the infernal contraption. Eventually, the unguided hand hit its mark, not only silencing the clock but crushing it. A blue eye cracked open and a noise of annoyance came from the eye's owner.

"Damn...third time this month," the blonde said before he stretched and started waking up. He heard a light purring and looked to see a black cat at his right. He scratched the cat behind the ear, earning a slightly louder purr from the snoozing cat, before getting up and walking out to the main room of the penthouse.

Bee-lining for the fridge, Naruto barely noticed that there was a pair of eyes following him with every movement. He opened the fridge and pulled his RockStar out before drinking it. A sudden weight pressed up against his legs and the blonde chuckled before bending over to scratch the larger cat behind the ears.

"Hey Fang," Naruto said as he went to Fang's dish and poured some of his drink in it. The giant cat eagerly started lapping the berry flavored drink up as the blonde smiled and took another swig of his drink.

It had been a few days since Fang's 'birth' and the Smilodon had adjusted quickly. Naruto thought it was due to the fact that the cat was alive during one of the most unpredictable moments in Earth's history. They had been informed via email by Mr. Freeze, who had gone underground to work on curing himself and Nora, that Fang wouldn't need a specific diet to keep him in check. They did have to start buying dog food for the giant cat, which Selena felt slightly insulted Fang. Naruto personally thought the Smilodon enjoyed the artificial flavored dog food more than tuna, but he wasn't really going to argue that with Selena.

Not until she got back anyway.

Selena had to go to Cairo for an art exhibit party. Well, that was her cover story anyway. Naruto knew she was going after the Egyptian Jeweled Cat, a priceless artifact being presented in the museum she was heading to. He had asked to come along, but she said no because there were rumors of a section of league members being based in the area. Naruto's retort was that she babied him too much.

And now he was without his PS3 for a week.

"First day home alone, Fang," Naruto said as he walked over to the cupboard and got himself a bowl, "You won't destroy my room will you?"

The cat looked up from his drink and gave Naruto what the blonde thought was a smirk before he went back to lapping down the energy drink. Now unnerved, Naruto shuddered slightly before grabbing a box of cereal and pouring it into a bowl before turning the TV on to listen to the news.

"_Sounds like Mr. Wayne will be enjoying the Egyptian night life for a while. Thanks Paul,_" a blonde news anchor said to her co-anchor, "_In other news, the insane psychopath known as The Joker has once again escaped Arkham Asylum and been seen in Gotham again. Police Commissioner Gordon had this to say._"

Naruto rolled his eyes. The Joker was nothing more than a psycho Hell-bent on giving everyone a 'good time', all flash and no originality. He changed it to MTV, where they were playing a Papa Roach music video. He grinned and pumped the volume up slightly, just enough that it was loud and yet wouldn't upset Fang.

Said giant cat merely twitched an ear at the noise his new master had put on the flashing machine. Naruto poured his milk and started eating his cereal while watching TV. The blonde _loved_ weekends.

_**Oi, Kit!**_ A voice suddenly shouted in his mind. The blonde frowned. He was finally on his free day, minus PS3 game time and raiding (He _never_ raided when Catwoman wasn't in town, he didn't want to get noticed), and wanted nothing more than to relax.

_What do ya want, Kyuubi? I'm on my day off_, Naruto thought with an annoyed tone.

_**Don't get lippy with me, Kit**_ replied Kyuubi, _**I can make a difference in your life. That being said, I want you to train.**_

"What part of 'day off' do you not comprehend?" the blonde grumbled as he took another bite of his cereal. Fang looked up to see if his master was talking to him, and seeing that he wasn't, the giant cat simply took one last lick at his now empty dish before walking over to his sunspot to get a well-deserved nap in.

_**What'd I tell you about replying with thoughts?**_ Kyuubi growled, _**And I don't care if this is the day you die. Train! You MUST master the water-**_

"I am," Naruto replied with a full mouth. After he swallowed, he continued, "Do that weird memory search thing of yours and you'll see I've been experimenting for the past few days. It's close to having as good control with wind."

The voice in his head was silent for a moment before it replied, sounding impressed, _**Very good, I guess...faster than before...fine, whatever. Have your stupid day off, just get SOME training in.**_

"Will do, fuzz face," Naruto replied as he stood to wash his dish out. After doing that and the rest of his chores, Naruto went to his room and changed into a pair of loose clothes along with grabbing his iPod. He gave Fang strict instructions not to chase Sylvia before petting both and heading for the gym.

* * *

-Cairo, Egypt 3:00 PM-

"This is a beautiful piece of art," Selena said as she examined the Egyptian Jeweled Cat. She turned to Abdul Mubarak with an approving smile, "It should be well guarded here with the Royal Guard."

"I should hope so," the short rotund man replied with a chuckle before he polished his eyeglass. He accidently dropped it and it rolled a good distance away. As it rolled behind an exhibit, a statue of Anubis, Selena stopped him from trying to retrieve it.

"Allow me," the woman said, carefully reaching behind the statue of Anubis. She performed a quick exchange with another eyeglass before returning the new eyeglass to Abdul.

"Ah, many thanks, Ms. Kyle," the Egyptian said with a smile. His grin grew slightly as he noticed the switch was successful. He nodded up at the woman and went to speak with another guest.

Selena smirked and slipped the engraved eyeglass into her pocketbook. She then turned to make her own leave before she bumped into someone. Falling to the floor, Selena growled in anger.

"I'm terribly sorry miss...Selena?" a familiar voice asked. She turned to see who it was and her heart suddenly clenched.

"Bruce."

* * *

-Gotham Youth Gym, 10:00AM-

Naruto grunted as he did another crunch from his spot on the chin up bar. He had his headphones in and rock music blaring to keep his adrenaline going as he pushed himself past his limits. Currently he was hanging from his knees as he did his crunches.

"Four-fifty-nine...Four-sixty..." he counted as he listened to a hard rock song. He panted and let his legs' hold on the bar slack so he could flip off and land on his feet. When he turned, he ignored the stares of shock and awe he was getting from many of the people in the gym. He then went to the weights and grabbed two sixty pound dumbbells.

As he started doing some bicep curls, he felt like he was being watched. He turned and saw a blonde that was jogging on a treadmill sneak a glance at him. She was familiar for some reason, but Naruto couldn't place it. With a mental shrug, Naruto went back to his own workout, ignoring the glances from the familiar blonde.

_

* * *

_

Why the hell does he look so familiar?

Artemis asked herself as she jogged on the treadmill.

Young Justice was actually given some free time, believe it or not, and she chose to hit one of Gotham's local gyms. When she arrived, she noticed several boys checking her out but ignored them. She was dressed in running shorts and a forest green under armor shirt, nothing special, she wore even more form fitting clothes when she was on the job. It was when she heard a duo of girls whispering to each other did Artemis notice the other blonde in the gym.

He was wearing a sleeveless grey shirt with the words 'American Muscle' on the back, and he was wearing black running shorts as he did his workout. Both articles of clothing did little to hide the definition that the blonde had. When he stopped doing his ridiculous, and yet practical, crunches and she got a good look at his face something clicked in her mind. He looked slightly winded, but she noticed he had little to no baby fat that was evident on some teens her age, even Wally still had some and he's in pretty good shape.

When he walked by her as he headed for the weights, she swore she saw thin scars on his face, but it could've been the lighting playing tricks on her.

Then her communicator beeped from her bag. Artemis cursed and looked back at the mystery teen one last time before going to her bag. She pulled her phone out and read the text message that was sent to her.

**Where R U?** a message from Barbara. Artemis rolled her eyes and texted back a reply.

**GYG, Y? Trouble?** Artemis asked.

**Just curious** was her reply, **Wanna meet up GM?**

Artemis rolled her eyes. Of course Barbara wanted to go to the Mall...she was actually a real teenager as compared to Artemis. Artemis lived, breathed, and would probably die from her hero life. But this was a day for the Young Justice team to act their age, so there was no harm in not being a hero for a day.

Right?

* * *

-Kyle Residence, 1:00PM-

"Ah," Naruto said as he collapsed on the couch. He had just returned from the gym and showered. On his right was Fang, curled up and relaxing on the couch, purring contently as he slept. Hopping up on his lap was Sylvia, in a similar state as Fang, although she wasn't purring when she lied down, he could tell she was content. Naruto pet both cats behind their ears before he turned the TV on and searched the PPV channels for something to watch.

"Porn, Porn, chick flick, lame, chick flick, family film, lame, lame, seen it seven times at Gizmo's," Naruto muttered as he flipped through the channels. Finding nothing, he went to the regular movie channels and searched. His eyes stopped on something and a smile grew on his face.

"A Kung Fu movie marathon , eh?" the blonde said with a grin. He looked at Fang, "What do you think, Fang?"

The giant cat opened his eye and snorted before going back to sleep, earning an amused look from his master.

"Well that's one 'I don't give a shit'," Naruto chuckled. He pet Sylvia behind the ear, earning a purr from the black cat, and asked, "What about you, Sylvia? You up for some Kung Fu?"

A louder purr emitted from the cat and the blonde grinned before selecting Kung Fu Hustle with Stephen Chow. He relaxed on his couch and began to watch the film. It was rather funny in its' own way, the only thing he found annoying was that it was shot entirely in a different language, but then again, maybe that was part of the joke. Eventually, they came to the scene where Stephen Chow's character was using his chi to force out an attack called Heaven's Palm and Naruto started to think. Many of what he did was similar to what those characters could do. Aside from looking like a cartoon when he ran.

How ridiculous would that be?

Standing up to feed the cats and himself, Naruto let his mind wander and he thought about what he was able to do. He could defy the laws of physics, create the elements from energy within himself, use the same energy to enhance his own being, and he had amazing stamina. Or so he was told by several of his sparring partners at the GYG. He turned the TV off and played the track Joe Inoue's Closer, the English dub, off his iPod.

As he listened to the music and thought about the Kung Fu films he had been listening to, he came to a realization.

"After lunch I'm heading out," Naruto said to the cats, earning their attention, "Keep an eye on the house, and don't take a dump on my floor, Fang."

* * *

-Gotham Mall, 1:30PM-

"Why am I here again?" Artemis asked the two girls with her. She and Barbara were dressed in a tomboyish manor, Artemis taking it a step further with her forest green leather jacket. Megan, who was using her transformation ability to be disguised as a Caucasian girl with red hair wearing a blue skirt and white blouse, shrugged as she looked at an article of clothing.

"Because Barbara asked you?" Megan replied with a smile, "And because you are our friend."

"That and we need to have a girls' day out," Barbara said as she looked at a shirt, "It won't kill you, Arte. Really, forty-five dollars for this?"

_That's what you think..._Artemis thought as she sighed and looked out of the window. She released a small gasp at what she saw, or to be more specific, who. Her friends heard her gasp and rushed to her side.

"What is it?" they asked in sync. Artemis shook her head, but glanced back at the blonde as he walked through the mall.

"Nothing," Artemis lied. Barbara looked at Megan expectantly.

"She saw a cute boy and is wondering why he's so familiar," Megan said with a smile, using her mind reading gifts. Artemis rounded a glare on the two girls but was met with a pair of innocent smiles.

"Well let's go meet him," Barbara said winking slyly at Artemis, "Maybe we can finally hook you up with someone."

"That would drive Wally nuts," Megan giggled out. Artemis groaned as her friends started dragging her along. They walked to the right, Artemis once again spotted the boy and, yet again, Megan announced it to Barbara.

"You two are dead to me," the archer grumbled. Megan arched a brow at the Earth phrase while Barbara merely rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on," Barbara said, "You're such a drama queen, it's not like we know the- oh my god..."

Artemis looked at her stunned friend who was staring at the blonde as he bought a pretzel from a stand, shamelessly flirting with the girl behind the stand before paying and walking towards them. The blonde archer looked at her Martian friend, who looked back at her before smiling.

"Yes?" she asked. Artemis sighed.

"You really gotta work on the girl speak," she muttered, "What's going through Barb's mind?"

"Oh! Hello Megan!" Megan said quietly as she palmed herself in the head. She closed her eyes and entered Barbara's mind before gasping. She turned and looked back at the blonde that was walking past them and towards an in-mall concert. Artemis groaned and turned Megan back to face her.

"Well?" Artemis asked expectantly as she glanced back at Barbara, who was now rubbing her head from the side effect of being subject to mind reading, before looking back at Megan, "Does she know him?"

"We all know him," Megan whispered. She looked back at the blonde boy, who was eating his pretzel and nodding to the music, and said, "That's Kitsune!"

* * *

Naruto was enjoying his pretzel quietly as he listened to the tribute to Fatboy Slim. Coming to the mall was probably the best idea he had all day. Probably would've been better if he asked someone to join him, but he wasn't in the mood to ogle girls with Xavier or critique old tech or videogames with Micro. Nor was he in the mood to be a shopping mule for Jinx. Seriously, who needs that many clothes? Not to mention she keeps trying to get him in other clothes, he liked his orange hoodie thank you very much!

After the song ended and his pretzel was gone, Naruto resumed his mindless wandering around the Mall. He was just there to observe the masses of innocents, to see if he could guess who was affected by what Gotham Major baddie.

_Mad Hatter killed her uncle, _Naruto thought as he looked at a woman moving away from a figure dressed in a suit and top hat. He saw a man pull his son away from a pet store, glaring at a specific animal. Curious, Naruto walked closer and laughed.

"Guess he met Scale-face," the blonde said with a snicker as he walked into the pet store. He looked over at the employee, who was idly picking his nose while reading a magazine, before reaching into the small tank and picking the crocodile baby up. It crooned at being picked up and wiggled for a moment before he relaxed it by rubbing its back with his hand. After holding it for a minute, the blonde placed the infant croc back in its tank and left the store, not before he saw something that caught his eye.

He looked over at the employee and shouted, "Oi! Is this what I think it is?"

The employee looked up and saw what he was looking at before nodding, "Yeah, that's a, erm, male Red Fox baby. It's why it's black. Oh wait, are you a cop? We have legal papers to sell it here let me get them!"

"No, I'm not a cop you idiot!" the blonde growled, "I was just curious because I want to adopt him."

"What, dude, are you sure your parents will let you?" the teen asked, "I mean, it is a wild animal...but if you get the right trainers..."

_Where the hell does Freeze get his animals? Not from this dumbass I hope!_ Naruto thought annoyed before replying to the idiot with, "My mom won't give a shit. How much?"

"I-I really shouldn't...I mean," the teen said with nervousness. Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Get me. The goddamn. PAPERS!" he barked. The teen yelped before rushing off into the back room to get the papers he needed. Naruto looked back down at the black fox kit looking up at him with yellow eyes. The blonde smiled slightly before opening the cage and pulling the kit out. Unknown to the blonde, his eyes slitted slightly and flashed red before reverting to normal as he petted the kit.

_Oi! Kyuubi!_ Naruto called into his mind. A gruff snort was heard from the voice.

_**Name him Kage,**_ the voice replied. Before Naruto could ask how he knew what he was going to ask, Kyuubi continued, _**I'm in your head, stupid. I know what you're thinking. Trust me on this and name him Kage.**_

"Well hard to argue with that," muttered the blonde as he pet the fox kit, earning a purr from him, "What do you think? Should I name you Kage little one?"

The fox released a small mewl of acceptance before nuzzling back into his arms. With a chuckle, Naruto turned back to the employee and snatched the papers before placing them on the counter and reading over them. He signed his name, the amount he was paying, and paid the teen. He was given a booklet on proper fox care, which the blonde took before he walked out of the store. He saw three girls immediately look away from him and he recognized one of them instantly.

_Barbara?_ He asked himself, _Who are those two with her though? I've never seen them at school...so that means..._

His train of thought was cut off by a sudden explosion coming from the store he was closest to, which was a bank, and he was sent flying a few feet. Protecting Kage by wrapping both arms around him, Naruto instinctively curled up into a ball and landed in a crouch a few feet away. He looked in his arms to see the fox kit was ok, but yowling in fear. He turned back to see three men wearing clown masks walk out of the bank, followed by a fourth man that made Naruto's eyes widen in fear.

"J-Joker."

* * *

-Cairo, Egypt 8:00PM-

"So..." Bruce Wayne, billionaire business man, said slowly as he looked at the seething woman across from him.

"So...What, _Bruce_?" Selena hissed, "You want to apologize for playing with my heart? My feelings? I thought we had something special..."

"We _do_ have something-" he started but Selena cut him off with a glare.

"Don't you _dare_ finish that sentence," she hissed. She held her glare for a minute before grabbing her jacket and her pocket book and standing from the table.

"Selena? Where are you going?" Bruce asked her. She gave him a look.

"Back to _my_ hotel room," Selena said, looking away from him as she pulled her jacket on. She turned and walked away before pausing and saying, "Oh, and tell that Bird of yours that he'll _never_ be at my Fox's level. Goodbye Bruce."

She left the billionaire at his table. She hailed a cab and relaxed after that stressing dinner by listening to Gotham's radio on her iPhone. As she listened to her radio app on her phone, her eyes shot open and she pulled the headphones from her ears and yelled at the driver in Arabic to take her to the airport.

From the headphones a newscaster was reporting franticly, "_I say again; The Joker has taken the whole of Gotham Mall hostage. Rumors are that both Barbara Gordon and Naruto Kyle are locked in the mall with the psychopath, what do you mean I can't say that? He is one!_"

* * *

-Gotham Mall 2:22PM-

"So you're the Kyle brat, eh?" a clown with blue hair said, "The boss might give me a raise if I give you to him."

Naruto flicked the man off as he tried to calm the shivering fox kit in his arms down. The clown saw the fox and grinned behind his mask as he pulled his shotgun up.

"Give me that thing," he ordered.

Naruto blinked and put on a thinking face before replying, "What're the words I'm looking for? Oh yes, get bent!"

"You little shit!" the man said, smacking Naruto across the face with the shotgun. The blonde skidded back and leapt through a display window on his left. He ran to the back of the store into a storage room and desperately looked for a place to hide the fox in his arms. The poor animal was quieter now, but it was still shaking from the adrenaline rush.

_Where to hide, where to...bingo_ Naruto thought as he went to a small vent on the ground. He set the fox down, it then cowered near his leg, and he pried the vent guard off the vent. He looked back at Kage.

"Get in there," he ordered. The fox was hesitant for a minute before jumping in. Naruto pulled a candy bar from his orange hoodie out and opened it. Then he pulled his hoodie off and slid his goggles and beanie into place.

"This will keep you warm," the blonde said as he put the hoodie in a corner of the vent before replacing the cover, "Stay quiet, Kage. Ole Kitsune's gotta go play hero, then I'll be back."

He pulled his gloves out from his back pocket and heard the sound of boots walking on glass. Readying a kunai, Kitsune ducked into the corner of where the door would open to. He slowed his breathing and waited.

"Come here, Kyle!" the clown henchman said, "Boss wants to show you a joke!"

As the clown walked into the storage room, Kitsune waited until the sawed off shotgun was visible on the edge of the door. When he saw the hand of the clown bandit, Kitsune shoved his kunai through the door and into the clown's arm.

"Argh! You bastard!" the clown shouted. He dropped the shotgun in shock and Kitsune made a snap decision to grab it. With a quick cocking of the shotgun, he took aim at the clown's head. The clown saw this and he frantically pulled at the bound arm.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" the clown cried, "Please! It was just a job!"

_Damned sense of morality,_ Kitsune thought as he dropped the shotgun down and blew his leg off. The clown screamed before passing out from shock. Kitsune provided first aid that he learned over the years and wrapped the leg. He gave the clown a good kick in the gut before walking back over to Kage and slipping the sawed off shotgun in the vent with the fox.

"There we go then," Kitsune said as he gave the kit an affectionate scratch behind the ear, "You watch this now, Kage. It's dangerous."

At his words the kit seemed to hiss at the gun, causing Kitsune to chuckle and put the vent back over Kage's hide away. With a crack of his neck, Kitsune left the store he was in and ran into two more clown thugs.

"Who the Hell are you?" one asked him, aiming an MP5k at him. Kitsune sighed before holding his hands up in front of him.

"The Kitsune, now prepare to be blown away," he said dramatically. The thugs laughed, causing Kitsune to smirk as he sent gusts of wind at them. The beanie wearer laughed as the two were sent through glass and into a steel display wall. He walked over to the clown that was more conscious than the other and grabbed him by the collar of his Best Buy shirt.

"You put hundreds of people in danger!" Kitsune hissed as he slammed the injured man against the wall, "I want to know why!"

"Boss didn't tell us," the thug said, scared of the teen, "He just said for us to round everyone up and take them to the Toy Store."

"...yup, that's Joker," Kitsune said. He dropped the man, and with a second thought lingering in his head, delivered a chakra enhanced punch to his temple. The man went through the steel wall that was holding him up and was now bleeding profoundly. The other thug was barely conscious enough to do damage to.

"Y-You c-can't do that!" the barely conscious thug said, "Y-you're a-a-a-a h-hero..."

Kitsune scoffed as he hopped down out of the display window, "You wish I was a hero."

**

* * *

**

AN: Ladies and gentlemen, you are now witnessing the birth of the Anti-hero, The Kitsune. Some are asking for Naruto to learn jutsu, and he will in time. He mastered the Rasengan already as well as Tsunade's super strength theory. I plan for him to learn the Kage Bunshin as well as the Shuriken Kage Bunshin, but if you can think of any others aside from those two, please tell me. I will not use any elemental techniques such as Great Breakthrough, because most of Naruto's elemental chakra control is already great enough that he doesn't have to use hand seals for that. Thanks for reading! Now click that nice blue Review button...you know you want to. PEACE.


	6. Episode 6

**300 people. 300 people out of 19,622 have this in their favorites. I'm...I'm honored. Thanks for clearing out that Darkseid/Doomsday thing everyone! Now I know, and knowing is half the battle! Now I bet you're all waiting for the big Joker fight, aren't ya? Well you're in luck! Now, let's watch, erm, read.**

**Disclaimer: What do I want? Naruto and DC rights! When do I want it? Now! What do I want? Ownership rights! When do I want it? Now! Cheese it! It's the Fuzz!**

**Episode 6: Fun & Games**

* * *

-Gotham Mall, 2:45PM Saturday-

"Gah!" a clown masked goon cried as Barbara kicked him in the groin. She, Megan, and Artemis were defending a small group of people in a shoe store that was a section away from where the main attack happened. Another goon came up from behind her and brought the butt of his gun down on her head, knocking her out.

"Barbara!" Megan cried, dropping her disguise. One of the clowns gasped.

"It's da Martian Girl!" he shouted aiming his gun at her. He fired off some rounds before Artemis came from his right and kicked the weapon out of his hands.

"The one time I decide not to have anything on me!" she growled as she swept the goon off his feet and then applied a judo chop to his neck, knocking him unconscious.

A goon fired another round of automatic gunfire off at the young heroines when a little girl, no older than four, escaped her mother's arms and bit his leg.

"Goddammit!" the goon cried as he looked down and saw the girl latched onto his leg, "You little bitch!"

He aimed his Uzi at her and was ready to blow her head off when Megan flew before him and cracked him over the head, knocking him out. The girl made a raspberry before her mother came over and scooped her up.

"Thank you," she said to the young heroine. Megan smiled and gestured to the little girl.

"You should be thanking her," she said, "Although, next time, leave it to the professionals. Ok, sweetie?"

"Otway!" the little girl said, "Gonna beat da bad men?"

Megan nodded, "Right. Go get to a safe spot."

The Martian then flew back to her other conscious friend and looked around. Artemis was slapping an unmasked clown across the face and growling at him. Megan noticed the other goons around her were clutching parts of their body or were unconscious. Most of the other goons had vanished, as did someone else.

"Where's Barbara?" she asked. Artemis gave her a glare.

"How am I supposed to know?" she asked as she punched a downed goon in the face, "These morons won't talk!"

"Well maybe I can read their minds," Megan said as she knelt down and put her hand on the unconscious goon's forehead. She closed her eyes and concentrated before they snapped open with a gasp.

"I know where the other hostages are," Megan said looking at Artemis. The archer was tearing a shirt she had bought and making a makeshift mask to cover her eyes before she flipped her jacket inside out.

"Where?" Artemis asked Megan. The sound of the door opening had both girls on the defensive. The first thing they noticed was Barbara was leaning on someone as they entered the store and clutching her head. The second thing they saw was someone they least expected to be helping her.

"Y-You're Kitsune!" Megan said, pointing at him. The goggle wearer gave her a look before looking back at Artemis.

"Is she serious?" he asked, helping Barbara sit down on a chair. When Megan appeared at her friend's side and began checking for injuries, Artemis nodded to the goggle clad thief.

"Yes..." she said eyeing him suspiciously, "Why are you helping us?"

Kitsune didn't answer and went over to one of the injured goons. He cupped the man's jaw and brought him to his feet. The man grabbed at Kitsune's arms and kicked with what little fight he had left.

"Where's Joker?" Kitsune asked. The goon spat blood in his face. Kitsune narrowed his eyes behind his goggles.

"Wrong answer," he said. With little effort, he shoved the man through the wall on his right, knocking down a few stands. Kitsune went over to another conscious goon and picked him up in the same manner.

"Maybe you'll answer me correctly," the thief said. The goon coughed in his grip before speaking. Artemis was too shocked to actually step in and stop him, as were Barbara and Megan.

"Da boss...he's...at da toy store..." the goon said through coughs. Kitsune growled and slammed the goon into the ground.

"Bullshit!" Kitsune snarled, "Give me the real location of the other hostages or so help me god you'll _wish_ you never took this job."

"H-He'll kill me, man!" the goon said and Kitsune's grip tightened.

"What makes you think I won't?" the teen growled. He released the invisible force Kyuubi called Killing Intent and directed it all at the goon. The clown goon actually pissed himself and started to sweat. He looked to his right and saw another goon standing, his MI6 in his hand and aimed at Kitsune's head.

"O-OK, Ok...I'll-I'll tell you!" the goon said before he grinned, revealing his bloody mouth, "When we meet in Hell!"

The other goon fired his gun but to everyone's shock, Kitsune raised his head and dodged it. Acting quickly, Kitsune pulled a kunai out and threw it into the man's throat, causing everyone to gasp. The goon dropped his gun and clutched his throat before falling to the ground releasing gurgled groans. Kitsune slowly looked back down at the man cowering beneath him and growled.

"You answered incorrectly," he said, pulling a kunai out, "What should I do about that?"

"Y-You're a monster!" the goon shouted, "Y-You can't do that!"

Kitsune smiled, "You'd be surprised how often I've heard that today. Goodbye."

He then shoved the kunai into the man's side, making the goon scream in pain as Kitsune twisted the weapon around slowly as he shoved it deeper. Barbara felt a little sick watching it and Megan was disgusted and slightly afraid. Artemis was simply indifferent, unsure of how to truly feel. On one hand, he just killed a man, on the other, he just defended himself. Perhaps it was only an overreaction.

Kitsune was then aware of a child crying, very close by, and put his hand over the screaming man's mouth. He leaned forward and whispered something that was inaudible to anyone else before pulling the kunai out and sheathing it. He then started cleaning the wound he caused and covered it, making sure the man would live.

The goggle clad thief then stood and looked over to the crying child and scared mother. He walked over to them and pulled his goggles down. He squatted down a few feet in front of them and gave them a friendly smile.

"Are you both ok?" he asked. The woman hesitated before nodding, thinking that the heroes hadn't attacked or stopped him because he was with them, but after the kill she just witnessed, she had second thoughts.

The little girl looked up from her mom's shoulder and looked at the smiling man. The bad feeling she got from him had vanished and he looked nicer. The blue eyed boy smiled at her.

"Hey kiddo," Kitsune said, "You ok?"

The girl slowly nodded and Kitsune grinned before speaking again, "Good. Can you do something for me?"

The girl nodded again, sticking her thumb in her mouth as the boy spoke softly to her. Kitsune took this as a good sign and continued, "Can you be brave for your mom and me? I'm gonna go get the bad man and stop him."

The girl nodded before sniffling again and wiping her nose with her sleeve. Kitsune pulled his goggles back up before reaching into his side pocket and pulling a doll out. He gave it to the girl who hesitated before taking it and hugging it tightly. The mother hugged her child and smiled thankfully at the young boy, who although just killed a man, that was a hero to her.

"Take good care of that dolly, ok, sweetie?" he asked her. The girl nodded before he helped the mother stand while she kept a hold on her daughter.

"Thank you, young man," the mother said with a smile. Kitsune smiled back and looked over at the other civilians who were watching him and slowly standing before he looked at the heroines. He looked at Barbara and Artemis.

"Archer, get that girl with your friend and the other civvies out of here," he said to them, using code. When Artemis looked like she was going to retaliate, he continued, "You're unarmed, Archer. You'll do much better getting these people to the ambulances and back home. Go!"

Artemis hesitated before helping Barbara up and taking her to the door. She held the door opened and the civilians looked back at the goggled hero before they rushed out, Artemis and Barbara following behind her.

Megan was in awe of how well the thief handled that situation. Kitsune looked back at her and crossed his arms.

"Well?" he asked. Megan blinked.

"Well what?" she asked him. Kitsune palmed himself in the face and grumbled to himself before looking back at her.

"Where is Joker? I know you know, Martian Girl," he said. Megan blinked again before realization hit her and she palmed herself in the face.

"Hello Megan!" the girl whispered before replying, "The man I learned from had gotten orders from Joker to tell any hero that asked that the hostages were held in the Toy Store."

"Which was a trap," muttered Kitsune. She gave him a questioning glance and he scratched the back of his head, "I, erm, sort of went to check it out and sprung the trap. Cost me a Freeze Bomb, but I got out of there. That's where I got the doll from; I figured I might run into a kid so I snatched it. Gotta keep a good face up for the public after all."

"...Right..." Megan replied before she started to leave the store, "Well the real place he's at is the Practical Joke Super Store."

"How am I not surprised?" Kitsune sighed before following the green skinned hero. As they rushed to the Halloween store, Kitsune swore and turned right.

"Where are you going?" Megan called as she turned and flew after him. Kitsune looked over his shoulder.

"I gotta check on something!" Kitsune shouted back before he stopped in front of a store with its window broken. He leapt through the shattered window and went to the back of the store, Megan hot on his heels.

They entered the back room and Kitsune grinned when he heard a small happy yipping. He walked over to a vent and took it off before a small black fox kit leapt out and onto his shoulder. Kitsune laughed as it licked his cheek and he scratched it on the head. He stood and looked at Megan.

"This is Kage," he said with a smile. Kage looked at her and growled slightly before Kitsune continued, "Kage, shush. This is Martian Girl. She'll take you out to Barbara, ok?"

Kage quieted his growls but whined at the implied fact that he'd be separated from his master. Megan gave Kitsune a glare.

"What do you mean I'll take him out of here?" she asked putting her hands on her hips, "You're not facing Joker alone!"

"You're right, I'm not," Kitsune replied as he reached into the vent and pulled a hoodie out. He held it out and said, "Kage."

Kage hesitated before leaping into the hoodie. Kitsune then wrapped it around him and gave the fox to the Martian. When she tried to speak he pulled his goggles down and she gasped at the red irises and slitted pupils. Kitsune ignored the gasp, assuming she was shocked he showed her his whole face.

"Take him," he ordered, "This is out of your league. I've got it covered. Trust me."

Megan took that moment to read his mind and found out what he had planned. She gasped again and he growled threateningly. When Megan left his mind, she backed out of the room, carrying the fox kit, before turning and flying towards the main exit. Kitsune stared after her for a moment before going in the opposite direction and heading for the Practical Joke Super Store.

He only prayed he wasn't too late.

* * *

-Cairo Airport, Egypt, 9:00PM-

"I don't care what your _client_ want's Jaffa!" Selena Kyle said into her Bluetooth accessary as she rushed to her plane's gate, "My _son_ is being held hostage by The Joker! ...You're damn right I'm going home! Goodbye Jaffa!"

She hung up and turned onto Gate R2 and put her ticket in front of the flight attendant. Tapping her foot impatiently, Selena glared holes into the flight attendant's head. When the woman gave her the tickets back and attempted to say some cheesy line, Selena rushed past her onto the plane and took her seat on first class. She set her items in the bin below her and pulled her phone out, setting it to Airplane Mode, before checking the news.

"_Well it seems as though some heroes were shopping today,_" the newscaster said, "_Gotta love that Justice League. Seventeen of the eighty-four hostages walked out of the mall with only one masked girl! One! There have been some rumors spreading from the survivors about a Dark Hero. Listen to these descriptions: 'He has a beanie and goggles, wears tight black and orange clothes, and uses sharp knives and super strength! I saw him kill TWO men without flinching.' Another quote states that he has a fox symbol on his chest and yet another says they overheard the Heroine Martian Girl called him 'Kitsune'. The only thing no one is sure of is whose side he's on. More after this._"

Selena gripped the arm of her chair and looked out the window as the newscast took a break. She was worried, proud, and all the same pissed off that Naruto would reveal himself to the public as a Hero! _What was he thinking?_ The black haired woman asked herself, _He's so lucky I'm not there right now, but he's gonna be sorry when I do get there!_

* * *

-Gotham Mall, 3:13PM-

_If I were a demented clown in a practical joke store, what would I be planning for a hero?_ Kitsune asked himself as he walked into the Practical Jokes Super Store. Immediately he stepped on something that made a flatulence sound and Kitsune looked down as yellow gas emitted from the modified Whoopee Cushion.

"...That figures," Kitsune muttered as he leapt up and away from the gas. He attached himself to the wall and crawled over to the center of the store.

"_Bing-boom!_" A demented voice said from the speaker to Kitsune's right, "_Folks, I'd like to announce a sale today, anyone wearing a smile gets a special discount on gags! Please form an orderly grouping and show off those smiles! Ha-ha-ha-haha-ha-ha-ha!_"

"Great...Joker has his laughing gas," the goggled teen muttered looking down at the gagged hostages, all grouped together with gags in their smiling mouths. Some were laughing behind the gags while the others were...too quiet.

Kitsune dropped to the ground in the center of the group. He walked over to one of the quieter ones, a child, and checked for a pulse. Kitsune growled lowly as he couldn't find one. He laid the dead child down and closed his (the child's) puffed red eyes. He clenched his hands into fists and looked up at the sky, oozing Killing Intent.

"**JOKER**!" he roared, shattering the large sun roof. A cackle from behind him caused Kitsune to turn around.

There, standing on a top shelf while dressed in his signature purple straight jacket and insanity wear, was the Clown Prince himself. His scarred cheeks curved upwards in a smile, while covered in a brutally done red face paint. His face was white and his eyes had pure black paint over them, insanity was dancing in his solid black eyes. He was smiling widely, shoving off his crooked yellow teeth and he brushed his messy dark green hair back before speaking.

"Why hello there," he said in his disturbingly deep voice, "Who are _you_?"

"You're ass kicker, that's who!" Kitsune roared, raising his hand, "Damn you!"

A gust of wind shot at the Joker and the clown lost his smile before leaping away to another shelf. Joker turned to see the top of the shelf utterly destroyed and turned back with wide eyes.

"Talk about full of hot air," he said before cackling, "So who are you? The Fox? Fox Tornado? Twister? Come now, I must know. Not all my party guests get to play with me without introducing themselves."

"...Kitsune," Kitsune growled, raising his hand once again, "I am Kitsune."

Water suddenly shot from the goggled teen's hands and Joker's eyes were wide before he was blasted away, up and through the roof. Kitsune growled again and leapt after Joker, rebounding off the clown prince's henchmen.

The second he landed on the roof, Joker pulled his oversized gun out and pulled the trigger. Kitsune was thrown back by a giant fist that emerged from the gun and performed a hand spring before landing on his feet. Neither paid any attention to the helicopter flying above them.

"Are you Batsy's boy?" Joker asked, taking aim again, "I must know, because you my friend, have major skillz."

"...You are just so fucked up aren't you?" Kitsune asked before rushing the clown. Joker shrugged and took another shot at the goggled teen. The thief slid under the fist on his knees and bending back at an extreme angle. Joker was once again left wide eyed before he smiled.

"You must be a killer at Limbo parties!" he cackled out. Kitsune leapt up and rebounded off a giant fan before driving a kick into the cackling clown's face. Joker flipped in the air and scowled as he rubbed his cheek, "That hurt you brat!"

"You got one thing right about me, Joker," Kitsune said, startling the clown with a small smile. Joker arched a brow and smirked back.

"Oh, and what was that?" Joker asked, "That Batsy trained you or that you kill at Limbo parties."

"Say that second part again?" Kitsune asked, relaxing his arms and hands. Joker grinned.

"That you kill-"

"Stop!" Kitsune interrupted as he flicked his wrists and two knives shot out from their sheaths on his gloves **(AN: Similar to Hughes from Fullmetal Alchemist)**. He smirked at Joker who suddenly had a shocked look on his face for the third time and said, "That part you got right."

He rushed the clown and thrusted his right hand at Joker's head. The clown dodged and kicked Kitsune in the gut, sending him back a few feet. Joker laughed and pointed a thumb at himself.

"Ya missed me, brat!" he stated proudly. Then he felt something cold trickle down his cheek and reached up to touch it. He brought his hand back and stared at bright red liquid on his fingertips. Kitsune smirked again and stood.

"Looks like I got you," he said before rushing the clown again. Joker dodged again and again but felt multiple cuts on his body. What was worse was they were pretty deep too, and it wasn't like the clown was getting any younger.

"I wanted a cutting edge party but this is ridiculous!" Joker said as he did a back handspring to get away from his opponent. He pulled a MI6 out and took aim.

"Say goodbye, Hero," he said, taking a shot. Kitsune dodged the bullet and glared back at the smiling clown.

Kitsune smirked and readied himself for another barrage of cuts, "You missed!"

"Actually, my aim was spot on!" Joker said, pointing behind the goggled teen and cackling.

Kitsune looked over his shoulder to see a news helicopter spiraling out of control with a hole in its gas tank. He swore and looked back at Joker, who spun the gun around in his finger before holstering it and giving the amateur hero a bow.

"Well, I'd like to finish this, but I prefer bats," Joker said before cackling and running away. Kitsune tossed his knife at him but Joker spun at the last second, dodging the blade and fleeing the scene. The goggled teen cursed and turned back to the helicopter that was going towards civilians and police officers. He dashed to the edge of the mall rooftop and leapt to the helicopter, barreling into its' side. The helicopter then started to spin over an empty part of the parking lot and its tail destroyed the in-progress Lexicorp building. Kitsune grinned and went to the door of the helicopter, ripping it off and tossing it behind him.

"Take my hand!" he shouted, holding his hand out to the cameraman. He, the newsman, and pilot all exchanged a glance before they took Kitsune's hand. Kitsune held his hand up in a half ram seal and they vanished in a swirl of leaves before the helicopter crashed.

The four men all reappeared in front of the police barricades in a large swirl of leaves. Kitsune fell back on his ass and panted as exhaustion got to him. The newsman and cameraman recovered first, aiming the camera at him.

"Sir! Sir, what is your name sir?" he asked Kitsune as the goggled teen slowly stood. Kitsune ignored him and other media members before walking over to a schoolgirl with red hair that was holding an orange sweatshirt with a small fox in it. Kitsune nodded his thanks to her before he started walking away. People clapped and cheered at the fact he saved them and Commissioner Gordon approached him.

_Shit!_ Kitsune cursed in his mind before stopping, "Y-Yes Commissioner?"

"I wanted to personally thank you for saving my daughter," he said, "Were there any other survivors?"

Kitsune sighed and bowed his head, "No...I tried to get there fast enough, but Joker gassed them..."

"That bastard," the commissioner cursed before patting the teen on the shoulder, "You tried your best, son, and that's all that counts. You're a hero."

Kitsune laughed tiredly before he walked away. As Kage looked up in worry at his master, Kitsune started petting his ears and muttered to himself, "I'm no more of a hero than I am a saint..."

* * *

-Gotham Airport, 5:15PM-

Naruto sat with Michelle at the waiting gate for Selena. Naruto had several bruises on his body and a small cut on his cheek from jumping through glass, but he was all bandaged up. He had already dropped Kage off at the Kyle household and informed Fang and Sylvia of the kit. Fang sniffed Kage once before licking his cheek, or half of his face, and walking away. Sylvia had a similar reaction, but instead started playing with the kit.

When Michelle called him and asked where he was, Naruto lied and said he was at Micro's (he called the little tech freak earlier to set up an alibi for himself), and when he showed up at the airport covered in bandages, Michelle almost ha d a heart attack. She was like a second mom to him and doted on him more than Selena did, but he knew it was her way of showing she cared. He lied and told her he was almost mugged on the subway, but got away after some cops showed up. Naruto knew Selena would know the truth and would probably chew him out and take something from him, but decided it was worth it considering what he had done earlier made him feel good.

That was another thing though. Being called a hero by Commissioner Gordon...it didn't feel right. Not that being called a thief was better, but that wasn't the point. He knew now that the Justice League will be looking for him, wanting to add him to their Corps. But he couldn't go against his friends just because the big league of heroes asked him to...it was like being in between a rock and a hard place.

He was snapped from his thoughts when Selena called his name and rushed over to them. Naruto stood up and she hugged him tightly, him hugging her back as she thanked god repetitively.

"Where the Hell were you?" she asked, "I called you on my way to the airport perhaps 7 times!"

Naruto winced, "I was at Micro's...he got a new computer game and I wanted to check it out."

"Then where the hell did you get this cut from?" Selena asked with a glare. Naruto then gave her his bullshit story about almost being mugged on the way to the airport via subway while they walked out of the airport. He saw Selena glancing at Michelle ever few minutes, checking for any signs of lying, but seeing as he didn't tell her the whole thing, she couldn't prove or disprove he was lying.

Selena sighed in relief and hugged the blonde again, "All that matters is you're ok."

Naruto nodded and hugged back, "...You're going to ground me til I'm dead aren't you?"

"You'll never see the sunlight again," Selena muttered before she and Naruto laughed as Michelle hailed a cab.

* * *

-Bat Cave (temporary Young Justice HQ), 5:35PM-

"Ow!" Artemis yelped as Aqualad stitched her up. Robin was on the phone with Barbara, checking on her and Megan was describing the whole incident to Kid Flash, Superboy, Black Canary, and Red Tornado.

"Then hold still," Aqualad replied with a smirk as he resumed stitching, "So...find out who the mystery boy is yet?"

"Shut up, Kaldur," hissed the archer. When Aqualad snipped the last stitch away Artemis sighed in relief and pulled her pant leg down over it. "Thanks."

"Anytime," Kaldur replied with a sly grin, "But still...Did you find out who your mystery boy is?"

"I said shut it, Atlantean!" Artemis growled as she walked towards the exit of the Bat Cave and towards her temporary room, "I'm going to bed."

"Go ahead," Red Tornado nodded, "You've had a rough day."

With a nod, Artemis left the cave and passed Alfred with a polite nod to the butler. Artemis then walked up the stairs and into her room. She pulled her 'work threads', as Kid Flash called them, off and tossed them into her hamper before changing into an pair of sweatpants and a loose green tee-shirt. She laid down on her bed and closed her eyes, her mind wandering.

_That's the second time Kitsune's helped Barb and I,_ Artemis thought, _Why? And why did he kill that guy instead of incapacitating him? His aim is as good, if not better, than mine. And how does Barbara know what he looks like under his goggles and beanie. Ugh, why is this guy bugging me so much!_

**

* * *

**

AN: It's cuz you're in love, sweetheart! LOL. So glad I got that chapter done. The Joker fight probably could have been longer, but that was just the first meeting. It's only going to get better from here on out folks and more questions will arrive for the Anti-hero known as Kitsune. Next chapter; Naruto has questions he only he can answer, Artemis confronts Barbara with Megan as back up and learn a shocking truth, and a certain fox gets visited by the Justice League. Episode 7: Confrontations. R&R. PEACE.


	7. Episode 7

**Dang...you people REALLY like this story... Oh and someone pointed out to me that Naruto/Kitsune isn't an Anti-hero, but more of a Reluctant Hero, which makes more sense. Someone asked me to add the toads in but my response to that is this: You DO realize that Catwoman is a fan of felines, which (Hold onto your hats folks) can usually be seen HUNTING TOADS AND FROGS!**

**Geez some of you people are giving me ideas that are great while the rest of you want me to make Naruto into more of a ninja like he is in most JL/JLU fics...This is MY story last I checked and while I do like the ideas, I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING. TRUST ME ON THIS!**

**For those of you still reading despite my rant, I thank you and apologize. I had to get it off my chest. Let's get this show on the road!**

**Disclaimer: What do I want? What do I WANT? I WANT THE RIGHTS! ...What do you mean I can't handle the Rights to DC or Naruto? BULLSHIT!**

**Episode 7: Confrontations**

* * *

-Gotham City Bank, 8:00PM Friday-

_God, I hate going to the bank,_ Naruto thought as he waited in line to get to a teller. He was being forced to do some of Selena's more boring tasks in the arrangement for his grounding, going to the bank and cleaning up after Fang took a dump were two of the more hated ones, but Naruto lived. He cracked his knuckles in an effort to keep from seeming too deep in thought, but sadly, that's all Naruto's been doing lately. Even if he was allowed to go on raids, which he wasn't due to his grounding, he wouldn't because he had been so shaken by three words.

_**You're a hero**_.

Those were Police Commissioner Gordon's words to him. They bugged him for the past week and he couldn't exactly talk to Selena about it. Nor could he talk to Barbara about it, she was Batgirl for God's sake! How could he go up to her and ask which life is better, which way is right?

_Ugh, I've been thinking too hard,_ the blonde thought as a headache started to emerge. He rubbed his temples to soothe the pain and stepped up to the teller with his eyes shut.

"Why hello there sir!" a shrill female voice said from behind the counter. Naruto winced and put a check Selena gave him in front of the teller.

"Hi, can you put this amount in Naruto Kyle's savings deposit? I think it's Deposit Box 23-22J," the blonde asked. The teller took the check and examined it, making sure it wasn't a fraud. She smiled back at him before transferring the funds.

"All done sir," the teller said with a large smile, "Thank you and have a good day."

"Yeah, same to you," Naruto muttered as he turned and walked away. He didn't get more than five feet when automatic gunfire came from behind him. Ducking behind a pillar, Naruto looked over his shoulder to see several men pulling ski masks on and shooting the security cameras and guards. The blonde groaned and dashed for the bathroom, stopping a little boy and his father as they started to walk out.

"Hey what the he-" the man started, pulling his boy into a protective embrace.

"There's four robbers out there with ski masks," Naruto interrupted, "You wanna keep your son alive, you'll do _exactly_ what I say."

"F-Fuck that, I'm calling the cops!" the man said, pulling his cell phone out. Naruto grabbed the man's hand and tore the cell phone away. He hung up the phone before tossing it into a toilet.

"What'd you do that for?" the man shouted. Naruto glared at him and held a finger up.

"One," he said, "The second those idiots see cops, they'll be gun crazy. Two, you're not doing what I told you. And Three, I need you to stay calm."

The man looked down at his son, who was shivering in fear and clinging to him, before looking up at the blonde and asked, "What do I do then?"

"Go into the handicapped toilet and sit in the far corner," the blonde said as he pulled his hoodie off. The man blinked before recognizing the symbol on Naruto's thieving suit.

"Oh my god," he muttered, "You're...You're that new hero that fought Joker..."

"I'm no hero," Naruto grumbled back as he pulled his goggles and beanie on, "Now get in that corner. Here, sit on my hoodie."

"Th-Thank you," the man said, taking the hoodie and going to do what Kitsune instructed. The goggle clad teen pulled his gloves from his back pocket. When he reached for a couple of kunai, he cursed as he only pulled out two.

_Guess it's time to try that new technique out that Kyuubi taught me,_ Kitsune thought, _I just hope it works._

Pulling his hands up into a ram seal, Kitsune preyed before muttering, "**Henge**."

A poof of smoke later, Kitsune looked like one of the robbers he got a good look at. He walked out of the bathroom and sneaked over to the one that was guarding the door, who he also happened to look like. Tapping the thief on the shoulder, the man turned and growled.

"Why aren't you watching the freaking hostages or getting the money!" he hissed to the disguised thief. Kitsune smiled under his mask before cocking his fist back and slamming it into the goon's face, sending him flying and making him drop his AK-47. Kitsune picked the AK up and cocked it before turning around and walking towards the guard of the hostages, who was holding a P90 at them.

"Rick!" the P90 user hissed, "Get back to your post! What the hell are you doing?"

Kitsune raised the AK and pulled the trigger, releasing round after round into the robber's chest. The man fell to the ground, dead as a doornail. He released the **Henge** and panted for a moment, tossing the AK-47 from his hands away from the dead robber. He then grabbed the P90 and slammed it into the marble floor, breaking it. He went to the hostages' aid and stopped by one of the tellers.

"Stay quiet until the gunfire stops," he whispered to the teller, getting a hurried nod of understanding, "When the cops show up, you never saw me."

"Y-Yes sir," the teller whispered back. Kitsune stood and as quietly as he could, made his way to the back where the vault was. The teen...whatever he was went to the open vault door and flicked his wrist, sliding his blade into his hand. He lifted the blade to use it as a mirror and see what the two goons were doing. He held his other hand up in a ram seal and focused chakra to his ears.

"Man da boss is gonna be so happy we got dis shit for him," One thug said.

"Shut up, moron," the leader goon said, "Listen, once we get dis money packed up, Toyman said we'd get a cut. So get back to work!"

_T-Toyman?_ Kitsune thought as his eyes widened. This was bad. Very bad. If he didn't go after these goons, Toyman would get cash and he'd have let a fellow villain have a whack at hurting innocents, but if he stopped these two idiots, Toyman would probably send a new 'toy' to steal whatever he needed, and possibly hurting even more innocents.

Kitsune shook his head and hardened his resolve, _What do I care if he hurts more people? These guys are my problem now. Not Toyman. Fuck it._

Kitsune leapt out from behind the steel door and his knife at one of the goon's necks. The man he grazed grabbed his throat and choked on his blood before falling to the ground. His partner turned to see...nothing?

"Looking for me?" Kitsune asked from behind the other goon. The goon turned and aimed his revolver at the new enemy, firing off a shot while Kitsune threw a punch.

"GOD DAMMIT!" Kitsune swore as he ran out of the vault while holding his left arm where the bullet entered. The man who shot him was now missing a few teeth thanks to a chakra enhanced punch, and was unconscious with his friend. Kitsune ran back to the front of the bank and pulled the alarm before fleeing the scene.

_Selena is going to kill me..._ Kitsune thought as he gripped onto his throbbing arm harder and ran up the wall of an alley before running towards his home.

* * *

-Gordon Household, 10:00AM Saturday-

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Sarah Gordon said as she walked to the front door of the Gordon home. She opened the door and smiled, "Hello Arte, Megan. Barbara is up in her room resting like the doctor wants her too, but she's finally gotten over the concussion and can have long discussions. I'm just glad some of her friends will be with her while I'm away on business and Jim is busy with the Joker case."

"Thank you Mrs. Gordon," both girls said as they walked into the house and went towards their friend's room. Megan was in her disguise as a redheaded schoolgirl while Artemis was wearing jeans and a dark blue T-shirt and her green leather jacket. Hidden in her pack was all of her hero gear as well as some sweats and loose shirts, seeing as they would most likely be lounging. Still, it didn't help to be prepared.

Megan knocked on Barbara's door and said, "Barb, we're here! Can we come in?"

"Y-Yea! Come on in," their friend said, Megan and Artemis could hear shuffling and entered quickly. Barbara was sitting on her bed, with a grin on her face and a hand under her pillow. Her hair and clothes were a little ruffled and there was a small gleam in her eye. Artemis, who understood the ways of earth teens better than Megan, smirked and crossed her arms.

"Was it any good?" she asked. Barbara's face turned pink and she looked away.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" she lied. Megan looked between her two friends before a smell hit her. She gasped and floated over to Barbara's side.

"Barb! Were you..." Megan looked left and right before whispering, "_Masturbating_?"

Barbara turned dark red and Artemis snickered at the look on her face. The Girl Wonder had the look of a child who was caught with their hand in the cookie jar, but Artemis remembered the real reason they came over and shut the door.

"As amusing it is to know Batgirl masturbates this early in the morning," the archer said, causing the redhead to blush even darker, "I have a few questions I want answered."

Barbara raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Like what?"

"Kitsune," Artemis said, causing Barbara's eyes to go wide, "Or how you know Kitsune."

"W-Well," Barbara started, "I met him when Batman was away on a Justice League mission..."

"Then why are you thinking about the blonde boy we saw in rags and in an alley?" Megan asked. Barbara glared at the Martian, who slapped a hand over her mouth while Artemis smirked. The archer came over to her older friend's side and sat next to her.

"Why don't you tell us the whole story, Barb?" she asked. Barbara hesitated for a moment before nodding her head.

"Ok..." she said.

* * *

-Flashback-

(2 Years ago, Gotham City)

Batgirl was doing a nightly patrol when she came across a drug deal going down. Batman was away on personal business and Robin had gone with him to continue his training. This wasn't her first drug bust, but it wasn't exactly her fiftieth either.

Batgirl grinned and leapt down onto the streetlight that was above them. When the light moved from her landing on it, the druggies looked up and gasped when they saw the Bat outline. They scattered and Batgirl turned and ran after the one that went into the alley.

She followed him as he turned down a left but then stopped.

"A dead end?" she said aloud as she walked forward and looked for any signs of where the dealer went. Suddenly a weight pressed against her head and the click of a gun hammer being readied made her freeze.

"Damn girl," the dealer said, as he looked her up and down lecherously, "That suit really _does_ look good on you."

He reached to cup her butt, but Batgirl elbowed him in the stomach. The dealer swore and before she could continue her onslaught, he smacked her across the face with his gun, bruising her cheek and busting her lip open.

"That hurt you bitch!" the dealer swore, before a grin appeared on his face, "Looks like someone's gonna have to teach you some manners. And that someone is me."

He shoved her to the ground and pulled at her pants, causing Batgirl to widen her eyes in realization of what he was going to do. She started to struggle when he cracked her across the head once again. He unmasked her and pressed his mouth against hers, and then forcing his tongue into her mouth. When he finished, the dealer smirked and started pulling her pants down again, his grin growing as Batgirl whimpered out pleas while tears rolled down her face.

"Shut up bitch," the dealer said, aiming his gun at her face and unzipping his pants with his other hand (deciding it was easier to get himself ready before getting her ready, "Damn...such a sweet pussy...Come to Da-aahhhhh!"

Suddenly a trashcan lid had ricocheted off the drug dealer's head and he rolled off the heroine and clutched his head in pain. Standing and taking aim with his gun, he spun around while his pants were at his ankles.

"Where the fuck are you?" he asked, "Come on! Show your bitch ass!"

That time he was hit with an old slab of meat, causing the man to hack from the taste. A figure ran at him and barreled into the dealer's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The figure grabbed a nearby rock and began beating the dealer with it until he was unconscious. Barbara scooted back into the opposite wall and pulled a bat-a-rang out from her belt and holding it defensively.

As the figure tossed the rock aside and turned to face her, Barbara tried to become one with the wall behind her. She was afraid that this new person was going to finish what the dealer started. Barbara was so sure he was going to do it. And then, just as those fears started to peak, a ray of light came on the stranger's face. It was a boy, probably a few months older than her, and he was rather skinny. He was wearing loose orange shorts and a torn black T-shirt.

"Are you ok?" he asked quietly. Barbara looked up to see concern written in the boy's face. She slowly nodded and he frowned. He took a step closer and knelt next to her. After a moment of just looking at each other, Barbara burst into tears and clung to him. After a few seconds he hesitantly hugged her back, causing her to cry harder.

-End Flashback-

* * *

"What happened after that?" Megan asked, entranced by the story. She thought it was very romantic and was running similar scenarios in her mind, only with a certain Kryptonian clone. Artemis was also entranced by Barbara's recollection, but she was trying to figure out what drove a homeless teen that stopped the raping of a teen hero to thievery. That and she was trying not to image herself in that scenario, it was almost like a knight in shining armor saving a princess...kind of a dream no girl ever fully loses.

"I don't know," Barbara sighed, shaking her head and shutting her eyes, "I passed out and woke up in the hospital. I don't know how I got out of my bat girl outfit or who got me there, but it wasn't Kitsune..."

"Ok, but...didn't he tell you his name?" Artemis asked. Barbara blushed and glanced over at a note that was framed on her desk.

"He didn't...but I got a letter the following day from a nurse," she said, "It was a note from him saying how he was sorry he couldn't stop the dealer faster. It was signed 'Ruto' and had a small image of a cartoon boy with fox-like features smiling. I just call him Root."

_Root, huh?_ The archer thought before asking, "But how do you know him as Kitsune?"

"Oh...about a year ago we met when Batman, Robin and I were trying to stop Catwoman from stealing The Cat's Eye for the seventh time," Barbara said, her blush never once dropping as she recalled her first Kitsune encounter, "He was playful and flirty as we fought, not really trying to get under anyone's skin. Robin however, well...Dick's got a little crush on me, it's kind of cute, but he's just not my type."

"And a thief is?" Megan asked with a sly smile. Barbara looked away.

"I don't know _what_ you're talking about," she lied before continuing her story, "But anyway, Kitsune tried to leave the museum by jumping out a three story window after pinning Dick to the wall with his weapons. I leapt after him, not my brightest move, because we both landed in a dumpster. When we both climbed up, his goggles were around his neck and I recognized him instantly."

"Did he try to run?" Megan asked as she and Artemis listened on. Barbara shook her head.

"That's just it," she said with a smile, "He laughed and said 'Well, not how I expected our next meeting to go' and just climbed out of the dumpster, offering me a hand. We noticed that no one had followed us and we...just started talking."

Megan and Artemis stared at her in disbelief. Barbara nodded, "I know, right? No chase, no fight, nothing! He just sat down against the wall, muttered about a shower, and asked me how I was doing! It was so weird!"

Megan shook her head, "That's...definitely a new one..."

"Tell me about it!" Artemis said with wide eyes, "Man, why can't all lower thieves be like him?"

Barbara gave Artemis a sly look and asked jokingly, "Trying to steal _my_ man?"

Artemis turned red and looked away, "Sh-shut up!"

Her two friends shared a laugh at her embarrassed expense before Artemis and Barbara teamed up on Megan about a certain Kryptonian.

* * *

-Gotham Tower City, 8:00PM-

_Finally, I can go on raids again!_ Kitsune thought as he ran across the wall of a building, _My arm still hurts like a BITCH though..._

Performing a small flip onto the roof of the building he was running up, he remembered just how Selena reacted to his little hero action the night before.

* * *

-Flashback-

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?" she shouted at him as she finished cleaning the wound with alcohol and started to remove the bullet herself, "Do you know what could have happened to you if Batman showed up?"

"He didn't though-OW-so why are you yell-OW-ing at me?" Naruto asked as she dug around for the bullet. Selena went quiet before looking at the blonde.

"Naruto," she said quietly, stopping her actions, "Do you...Do you want to be a hero?"

Naruto felt time slow down as he continued pondering the question that was currently the bane of his existence. He looked at Selena and answered honestly, "I...don't know..."

Selena sighed slightly and pulled the bullet from the wound, earning a yelp from the blonde. As she resumed cleaning the wound and started stitching it she spoke again.

"I was afraid of this," Selena muttered, "You've had too many encounters with heroes, probably have an attachment to one or two of them. For as long as I've known you you've always had a good heart."

"But...I don't want to leave this life behind..." Naruto said quietly.

"I'm not saying you should," Selena said as she stitched the wound shut, "I'd prefer you didn't, though. Heroes...they have good intentions, don't get me wrong, but they also attract the most dangerous people. Take Joker for instance."

"Psycho..." the blonde muttered. Selena chuckled.

"He is," Selena said, "But he wasn't always _that_ stir crazy. As much as I hate to say it, it's Batman's fault he exists..."

"Because of the Red Hood incident, right?" Naruto asked. He knew all about Joker's past, thanks to Batgirl (who he has yet to tell Selena about his connection with), and knew that Red Hood was a low time criminal, like himself, that had an accident during an encounter with Batman that...changed him.

"Exactly," Selena said, "Now, I don't know about you, but the second reason Joker's gotten away with so much is because of the Hero's Code."

"You mean that 'Justice Will Prevail' bullshit?" Naruto asked, a wince appearing on his face as Selena tugged on the stitches, closing them up.

"Exactly," Selena said, "You know how often super villains break out of Arkham, right? Well, take that and multiply that by a good fifty-four more holding areas like it and what do you have?"

"A shitload of problems just waiting to hit the fan," Naruto said as he rubbed his arm before wrapping it with medical tape, "...Batman's the only one who comes close to breaking that code, isn't he?"

"...Yes," Selena said with a nod. She gave the pondering blonde a kiss on the forehead and walked out of the room towards her bedroom, Fang standing and following her whilst Kage leapt up onto Naruto's lap.

"Don't stay up too late thinking about it, son," she said with a yawn.

-Flashback end-

_

* * *

_

And yet, I did,

Kitsune thought as he leapt across the rooftops. He skidded to a stop and looked over his left shoulder.

"You can come out," he said, "I know you've been following me for a while..._Manhunter_."

With that, the Martian Manhunter J'onn phased through the roof and became tangible again. Kitsune turned and crossed his arms, glaring at the Martian.

"You are even more skilled than we thought," J'onn said, "I am J'onn."

"Yeah, the Martian," Kitsune muttered, "Kind of hard to ignore the more unique members of your Little League."

"Indeed," the Martian said with a nod, "I'll cut to the chase, as I can sense your impatience. I am offering you a place with us."

_This_ shocked the goggled teen. He stuttered for a moment before speaking clearly, "WHAT? You-You want me, a thief, to join...The Justice League?"

"Not only me," J'onn said, "But some of our members do as well. Red Tornado, Aquaman, Flash, Superman, Steel, just to name a few."

"...Most of those were _guys_ that are seen in tights," Kitsune deadpanned, "Any, oh I don't know, _women_?"

J'onn smiled, slightly amused, "Well Wonder Woman and Black Canary for one are intrigued by your fighting skills. I am sure I have heard Supergirl talking to someone about you. I believe she said something along the lines of 'Cute new Hero'."

"Nice," Kitsune grinned. He dropped his grin and narrowed his eyes behind his goggles, "What's the catch?"

"No catch," J'onn said, as he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He tossed the teenage thief something. Kitsune caught the object and examined it to discover it was a type of communicator. He looked back up at the Manhunter suspiciously. J'onn simply had a neutral look on his face and continued, "Just think about it. Goodbye Kitsune, I hope to meet you again. You are...unique."

Kitsune smirked, "No better way than to be unique, Manhunter. See ya."

He watched as the Martian flew away into the night sky before looking back down at the communicator in his hands. With a sigh, he pocketed the device and turned around before running again.

_Why is it I have the feeling some major shit is going to go down?_

* * *

-Unknown Location, Unknown Time-

"Well, well..." Joker said in his deep voice as he watched the transaction between the Manhunter and Kitsune, "So Bats is trying to get his hands on a new friend...This boy doesn't seem to play by the rules though."

He laughed as a plan started to form in his mind. He looked over at a container on the wall and another insane cackle left his mouth. It echoed throughout his hideout, frightening some of the small rats that were in the vicinity.

"Perhaps I should get some of my friends too! Then we can play a real game!" Joker said as he grabbed the container and opened it. A putrid smell filled the area that only made Joker grin before he went to his work desk. A squirting flower was on it and he set the container next to it.

"I wonder if a certain Solomon wants to leave his Tomb to play with me?" Joker mused before another idea came to mind, "Oh, I _know_ who to play with! He's got all the perfect _toys_."

**

* * *

**

AN: That...does NOT sound good. What could Joker be up to? Will Naruto/Kitsune join the JL? Next Chapter; Joker makes more plans with a certain toy maker, Artemis tries to find out Root's true identity with Batgirl's help, and Kitsune discovers the horrors of an insane fan girl. Episode 8: Fox & Fans


	8. Episode 8

**Three hundred reviews and four hundred forty-five people with this story in their favorite stories. I am amazed and sorry about my lateness for updating. For some reason, I was unable to update, but now I found a way around that problem. I would like to take the moment to explain something to a reviewer who noticed something in chapter 4 or five about Naruto and Barbara.**

**Someone said Barbara was sneaking glances at Naruto during lunch when he was exhausted from staying low on the radar and helping Freeze, this is true. What they thought though was Barbara didn't know who Naruto was. She knows that Naruto (or Root/Ruto to her) is Kitsune and she recognizes his face, but she's never actively sought out his true identity like Artemis is. He's Root to her and that's all she needs.**

**For now...**

**Plus, the Root factor is a hats off to the Naruto Manga. (Root ANBU-haha)**

**For anyone who is asking, this isn't based off the comics of Young Justice, this is more along the lines of the TV series that seems to be a spinoff of JLA/JLU**

**Poll: Add Supergirl to the mini-harem? Yea or Nay. This is the LAST ADDITION to Naruto's polygamy life.**

**On with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: Fighting for rights to DC and Naruto, Read all about it on page twelve! Uh-oh...the Trademark Police! AH! *runs away with personal newspaper***

**Episode 8: Fox & Fans**

* * *

-Kyle Residence, 12:00PM Sunday-

Naruto was lying on his bed, staring at an object in his left hand. As he examined the communicator that the Martian Manhunter gave to him and seven thousand thoughts ran through his head at once, he looked down at the bundle of black fur lying on his stomach. Kage and Sylvia were very close, not to say Kage or Sylvia weren't close with Fang. Fang was...unused to cuddling still, preferring his solitude or lying with Selena than being with the two smaller animals of the Kyle household. He would occasionally play with the Fox kit or rest with the cat under a ray of sunlight, but when it came to good ole Sunday and resting under that one spot near the window...nothing beat it for Fang.

"What should I do, Kage?" Naruto asked the kit as he scratched behind the slightly conscious fox's ear, "Should I accept their offer? Reject it?"

Kage gave Naruto the look equivalent of an 'I dunno' before releasing a small foxy yawn that caused a squeak and laying his head back down on Sylvia's back. The female cat merely increased her purring once again and Naruto chuckled before looking back at the device in his hand. With a sigh, he put the device in his table drawer before yawning and closing his eyes.

"I'll think about it on Monday," he muttered as he put one hand behind his head and stroked the two sleeping black animals with his other, "Time for a Sunday nap."

* * *

-Gotham Heights, 1:00PM-

"I must meet him in person!" a female voice cried as she looked at pictures of our favorite goggled Reluctant/Anti Hero that were taped to her wall. She sighed dreamily as she looked at a life sized picture and leaned against it.

"I'll love you for who you are, my Kitsune," she said as she ran her hand across the picture's face, "We'll be together...FOREVER."

"KIT-TEN!" an older man's voice called. The girl went over to her door with a scowl and opened it.

"WHAT?" she shouted down the stairs, "I'm having a moment with my FOXY LOVER, Dad! What do you WANT?"

"I'm going to work, want me to bring you a Double Whopper from Burger King on my way back?" he asked. Kitten grumbled before shouting back down the stairs.

"YES! Now leave me to my evil plotting!" Kitten roared.

"Ok sweetheart! Don't destroy the world now, I'll talk to you later!" her father called back as he walked out the door. Kitten huffed and went back over to her laptop that sat open on her bed. She sighed dreamily at the desktop background of a fan art drawing of Kitsune (he's been getting around hasn't he?) before she opened the file titled 'Romantically Awesome Plan E: Kitsune'.

"Hmm," she mused, "Well, from what I know about _my_ Kitsune, he likes to steal and save damsels in distress...hmm, maybe this will work!"

Kitten then spent the rest of her time working on her evil plan, occasionally stopping to stare at the life sized picture of Kitsune's head on her wall. She eventually went back to work with gusto.

* * *

-Artemis' room in Wayne Manor, 2:10PM-

"So he's been around for a good, two and a half years?" Artemis asked as she entered the information into the personal identifier app on her Apple laptop. Barbara nodded from her spot next to her.

"Yup," she said as she twirled a batarang in her hand, "Don't forget to add in the blonde hair, blue eyes...even tan...toned body..."

"Barb, you're losing focus," Artemis said as she fought the blush back from her face, "I've already added those details into the computer. So now we just enter 'Ruto' and..."

The search started and a timer came up. Artemis and Barbara blanched at the timer.

"_Nine_ Hours?" they chorused in shock. The two girls deflated and sat back in their seats.

"What do we do for twelve hours?" Artemis asked as she slightly pouted. Barbara leaned back against the wall and blew a small bit of hair out of her face.

"Wanna spar?" Barbara asked. Artemis shook her head.

"We've done that enough to last two lifetimes," the archer said before sighing in boredom. Barbara suddenly got an evil glint in her eye and crossed her arms.

"You know," she said, getting Artemis' attention, "I've been wondering...just _why_ exactly do you want to know who Root is?"

Artemis snapped her head up, her face bright red with embarrassment, and she replied, "I, erm, w-what do you mean?"

Barbara smirked, "Admit it! You've got a crush on Root!"

"I-I do not!" Artemis said crossing her arms and looking away, "I just...want to be able to lock him away for his crime in Maine!"

"Uh-huh," Barbara said, unconvinced, "So what drew you in? His charm? Looks? Laugh? Come on girl, spill it!"

"I do NOT have a crush on Kitsune!" Artemis shouted with a glare. Seeing Barbara's smug smile was sending the archer over the edge, so she decided to turn the tables, "Ok, fine!"

Barbara flashed a victorious grin her way and Artemis' blush intensified.

"I...I like him," the archer admitted quietly, her face inventing a whole new definition of red, before she looked back at her friend and asked, "But what about _you_?"

Barbara blinked and a small tinge of pink appeared on her face, "Wh-What?"

"You heard me," Artemis said with a small grin as her own blush faded from no longer being in the hot seat, "You like Root, right? Why?"

"W-Well he's o-one of my b-best friends," the girl wonder stuttered out.

Artemis smirked, "Uh-huh, suuure. That's not what your face yesterday said when Megan and I came over."

"Sh-Shut up!" Barbara said crossing her arms and looking away. The archer laughed and patted her friend on the leg.

"Oh relax, Barbara," she said, "I get it...so we could either keep trying to embarrass each other, or...we could...t-talk about him."

Barbara laughed and smiled at her friend, "So Artemis, the toughest heroine I've ever worked with, actually wants to discuss a _boy_? Is Darkseid coming back to earth?"

* * *

-Apokalypse, 2:17:01PM-

"AH-Choo!" Darkseid sneezed as he walked to the deck of his command ship.

"Bless you father," the warlord's son said. Darkseid backhanded him and walked past him, scratching under his nose. He looked back down at his current course and entered new coordinates. He smirked and crossed his arms as he thought, _I'm coming Superman, and this time you won't be able to stop me._

* * *

-Artemis' room, 2:17:35PM-

"Careful Barbara," Artemis said with a small smirk, "He just might come for you if you make him sneeze."

"Ha-ha," Barbara said sarcastically, "That's just an old wives tale."

"Yeah, but seriously," the archer said, "What is it about him that draws us in?"

"It's his smile for me," Barbara said as her pink tinted cheeks returned and her eyes glossed over. Artemis wanted to roll her eyes and laugh so badly at how far her friend had fallen for this crook, but she'd end up calling herself a hypocrite afterwards. She had already admitted she liked him, but how deep were those feelings for the mystery of Kitsune?

"What about you?" Barbara's voice snapped the archer from her thoughts.

"Well I..." Artemis hesitated for a moment before replying shyly, "I...don't know..."

"Here I'll help," Barbara said as she held her fist up and started listing things off her fingers, "It could be his smile or his eyes or his arms...his big strong arms..."

"You're going fan girl on me again," Artemis snickered out. Barbara huffed and looked away.

"Sor-ry! I wasn't aware that we weren't allowed to notice some of the finer things on his person," the girl wonder muttered. They shortly came back to conversation over their favorite crook, Artemis still trying to steer clear of his more _noticeable _assets while Barbara tried to corrupt her heroic-driven friend.

* * *

-Selena Kyle's office, 5:00PM-

"I'll have to call you back about that interview, Ms. Lane," Selena said with a small frown as someone walked into her office, "I have some...personal business to attend to."

Once she hung up the phone, she glared at the man that just waltzed in her office and sat down across from her. The man was of Egyptian heritage and was dressed regally. He had a smug smile as he looked at her. Selena narrowed her eyes and pressed down on her intercom.

"Michelle, please be a dear and hold my calls for a few minutes," she said. After getting affirmation from her assistant, she turned her attention on the man across from her. She pressed her fingers together as she rested her arms on the desk and spoke with an cold tone, "What do you _want_, Jaffa?"

"It seems, Ms. Kyle, that you have forgotten the arrangement of our deal," he said with a smug smile, "You would steal the Jeweled Cat for my client, and we would leave your beloved Mr. Wayne, alone."

Jaffa's smug smile fell when Selena earned her own smug smirk, "Oh that? I guess you haven't heard about our breakup. And with my son being a stronger fighter than anyone you could hire to harm him, there is no way you could get me back into a contract with you. Now get out before I call the police for threatening to endanger my child."

Jaffa narrowed his eyes, "You would risk me alerting the media to your after dark activities?"

"They wouldn't believe you," Selena said smugly, "I have informants in the media and they have a good pull on what is told about my life and what isn't."

Jaffa huffed, "We shall see if you stay out of our deal. Mark my words, Ms. Kyle, you will steal the Jeweled Cat for my client sooner or later. Pray the next time I ask, you say yes. Think of your son's safety."

"Get. Out." Selena growled, having become irritated with the man and upset with the fact he would even dare to think about threatening Naruto. She had the urge to invite him over for dinner and sic Fang on him, but knew that wouldn't go well with Naruto. She glared holes in the back of his head as he left her office before pressing down on her intercom.

"Michelle," she said, "Please tell me you've contacted the police and informed them that a man named Jaffa Abdul has threatened Naruto's life."

"_There's a car waiting outside to pick him up on accounts of blackmail and threatening your son, Ms. Kyle,_" Michelle's voice said from the intercom, "_I can't believe he never noticed you only put the intercom on mute._"

"I can, now can you tell me who called while that...meeting took place?" Selena asked, immediately going back to work.

* * *

-Rooftops of Gotham, 8:00PM-

_You run around, I run around, we all do a run, run, run around,_ Kitsune thought as he ran across the rooftops towards a minor jewelry store. He had been looking the store up for the past few days, ever since the bank incident anyway, and decided he needed to clear his villainous conscious with a petty theft of a few gems. That and he had the feeling there was something big that was going to happen soon.

He slid to a stop and leapt down into the alleyway next to the jewelry store. Kitsune grinned as he noticed there were no signs of cops nearby, but as he went to open the back door of the store, sirens sounded and he paled.

"What the fuck?" he muttered before running up the side of the wall. He grabbed the corner of the rooftop and vaulted over it to land smoothly on his toes. He ran to the front of the store and looked down to see a girl dressed in purple standing in front of the store with two bags in her hands staring down two policemen with their revolvers drawn and aimed at her.

_Goddamn amateurs..._ Kitsune thought bitterly, _So long as she doesn't do anything stupid like attack them or run away, I don't have to get involved._

As soon as he thought that, the girl put both bags into her left hand and threw a bola at one of the officers. Kitsune could have cried.

_I just wanted to have a nice, easy theft,_ he thought somberly, _but no-o-o, I have to be a goddamn hero. Damn it._

He leapt down and threw a smoke bomb at the ground between the amateur and the police officers. He grabbed the girl by the hand and pulled her with him into the alleyway.

"Put your arms around my neck and keep your mouth shut!" he growled, moving himself in front of her as he heard the coughing police officers contact dispatch and call for backup. The girl did so and hugged herself to him, making him gag for a moment before he ran up the wall. The girl sighed as though she was in bliss and Kitsune grumbled to himself about amateurs. Once they were on the roof, Kitsune released his hold on the amateur, but she didn't release him.

"Let go," he growled. The girl released another sigh and did as he said, albeit reluctantly. He turned around and faced her, crossing his arms and scowling as he did so. The girl seemed to brighten at this and he arched a brow behind his goggles.

"So...what's your name then?" he asked the girl. As he looked her over he realized she couldn't be any older than Robin was. She had obviously dyed her hair black as it seemed to have a few strands of blonde mixed within the raven locks and her purple spandex (most likely a Halloween costume) outfit that exposed a lot more than was necessary for someone her age.

"Harlequin!" the amateur said, hearts in her eyes as she looked the goggle clad teen over, "But you can call me Kitten."

"Err, _right_..." Kitsune drawled out, "What are you doing out here, kid? This isn't fun and games you know."

"I was looking for _you_," Harlequin said, leaning closer to him as she said the word 'you'. Kitsune took a step back from the eerie closeness.

"Ok...why were you looking for me?" Kitsune asked with an arched brow. Harlequin latched onto his arm and smiled up at him.

"Because we were meant to be! I've been following your every story since you first showed up two and a half years ago!" she said, squeezing his arm. Kitsune pulled his arm back.

"Kid, I don't know what your problem is," he grumbled, "But there's no way you've been following me for two years. I wasn't even in the tabloids until three weeks ago."

"I have my ways," Harlequin said while fluttering her eyes at him, "And now you and I can be together, _forever_!"

"WHAT?" Kitsune shouted as he leapt back. His eyes were wide behind his goggles and his jaw was slack. He started backing up towards the edge of the building, "No, no, no, no, no, no!"

"Yes!" Harlequin said as she latched onto Kitsune. Kitsune was mentally freaking out. As he pushed on Harlequin's face to get her to release him, he felt one of her hands pinch...

"HEY!" He shouted, successfully separating himself from the obsessive amateur thief, "No pinching the property!"

"But you're so hot!" the girl pouted. Her eyes watered and she sniffed, "Do...Do you really not want to be with me?"

Feeling slightly bad, Kitsune cursed his sympathetic side and sighed, "Yes...But it's not you, it's me. I mean, you're more near Robin's age, so it'd be weird for me."

Harlequin nodded and sniffed. She looked up shyly at Kitsune and held one of the jewelry bags out to him. Kitsune arched a brow once again and chuckled, "Honor amongst thieves...Thanks Harlequin."

He took the bag and opened it to examine the contents. Upon opening the bag, a puff of gas shot into Kitsune's face, causing him to drop the bag and cough violently. He fell to one knee and his eyesight got blurry. He pulled his goggles off and rubbed his eyes in effort to get his normal sight back. He looked up at the purple blur that was Harlequin and coughed out, "Wh-Why?"

"If I can't have you, Mr. Foxy Man," the amateur thief said in a distorted voice as she pulled the black wig off her head, "Then no one can. No one denies Kitten Luthor."

Kitsune fought the sleep that was threatening to overtake him but to no avail. The last thought that hit his mind was, _Damn my sympathetic side. This is not going to end well._

* * *

-Gotham Warehouse 63, 10:55PM-

"Ugh," a blonde groaned from his spot chained to the wall. He shook his head and blinked his eyes as he tried to see through the darkened area. Naruto blinked again and looked around before he was suddenly doused with water. He sputtered for a moment before turning at the direction the water came from and scowling.

"Yay!" Kitten cheered as she tossed her bucket aside, "My Foxy Lover is awake and ready to elope with me!"

"I'm ready to WHAT?" Naruto shouted. He took in his surroundings and his own situation and saw he was chained by his hands above his head and dangling about a foot off the ground. He also took that time to notice he was shirtless, making him arch a brow before a horrifying thought came to his mind.

"Did...Did you rape me?" he asked with shock in his features.

"Ew, no!" the girl shouted, slapping him across the face from her spot on a step ladder, "I'm waiting until we're bound you pervert!"

"You're too young!" the blonde shouted, earning another slap, "Stop that!"

"No! Now behave while your Kitten gets to work on finding a cheap reverend online that can bound us together within the law," Kitten said with a sickly sweet smile. She then hopped off the step ladder and skipped away to another part of the warehouse.

Naruto looked up at his binds and tugged at them, to no avail. Naruto sighed before looking down at the ground and saying, "How am I going to get out of here?"

Naruto looked back up at his binds and flipped his body up in order to wrap his legs around the chain and tugged on it with his extra grip. As he tugged something fell from his pocket and landed with a soft noise. The blonde looked down to see the communicator J'onn had given him a day ago lying on the step ladder.

"This cannot be happening," the blonde muttered as he looked down at the communicator. He looked back at the chain before looking back at the communicator with a sigh. He released his hold on the chain with his legs and flipped back to his original place hanging from the chain and kicked a boot off. Lifting his foot up, he bit onto his sock and freed his foot from it. Spitting his sock to the side, he reached with his foot to grab the communicator to find he couldn't get it. He glared up at the chain that restricted his reach and then another idea came to his mind. Naruto kicked his legs back and forth to create momentum. As he swung, he reached for the communicator and grabbed it with his foot.

_Thank you sapiens for your genetic help in evolution_, the blonde thought, thanking his monkey ancestors, as he tossed the communicator to his face and caught it with his mouth. He clicked down on the red button before dropping it to the ground.

"_Justice League Watchtower, Supergirl here,_" a teen's voice said, "_What's the problem, J'onn?_"

"This is J'onn's communicator?" Naruto said with amazement, "Damn...Oh, erm, This is Kitsune and I've got a slight problem."

"_Kitsune?_" Supergirl said in a thinking manner, "_Oh! You're the new guy that took Joker on! (sound kind of cute over a com) What's wrong, Kitsune?_"

"I've been kidnapped by a psychopath!" he shouted before biting his tongue. After calming himself down he said, "Listen, I just need someone to find me and free me from my binds. I can handle the rest myself."

"_...Riiight..._" Supergirl said in a disbelieving manner, "_Listen, just leave your communicator on and I'll be there as soon as possible. Bye!_"

"No wait...ugh," Naruto said, hanging his head in defeat. As he struggled to get his boot back on, a thought ran through his mind; _Worst. Day. Ever. This even tops the day I had to help Selena out of that jam with The Pigeon and was covered in bird droppings._

* * *

-Artemis' Room, 11:00PM-

"Arte, Arte wake up!" Barbara said as she shook her friend by the shoulder. Artemis blinked before stretching from her spot in her satellite chair. She hated to be woken up from the dream only to blush as she remembered the dream itself. Barbara smiled at her friend.

"Someone was thinking about a certain thief," Barbara teased. Artemis lightly punched her in the arm and muttered a 'shut up'.

"Why'd you wake me?" Artemis grumbled as she stretched her back out while standing.

"Your ID app is done," the girl wonder said, pulling her towards the bed and sitting her down. Barbara sat next to Artemis and handed her the laptop, looking over her shoulder as to watch while Artemis looked over the results.

"His medical records say he is a meta-human," the archer mused as she read the results, "And that he had first been examined in STAR Labs. He has a record of petty hacking crimes against Lex Luthor, not that that's a bad thing, and small gas station robberies. Huh, he only stole food. Makes sense considering he was on the streets. This Root guy is-Oh...my...god."

Artemis' eyes were wide and her jaw fell. Barbara peered over her shoulder and had the same reaction. They both looked at each other before looking up when someone knocked. Artemis shut her laptop and went to the door to find Wally.

"Hey Arte! Just wondering why you and Barb were coddled up in here all day," he said with a small lecherous grin, "Anything that we should talk about, or videotape?"

"Get lost, Wally," Artemis said with an eye roll as she shoved the Fastest Kid Alive out of her doorway. Wally chuckled and held his hands up in defense before speeding away back to whatever he was doing. Artemis went back to her friend after shutting the door and reopened the laptop in order to get a double check at who the identity of Kitsune aka Root was.

"I'd never see it being him," Artemis said as she looked over the picture, "Then again; he's hardly been in the news much like Selena Kyle."

"I know, right?" Barbara said as she looked at the picture, "Now that I look at him though...he definitely is Kitsune. No wonder he signed his name Ruto. Who has the name 'Naruto'?"

"Definitely has an exotic sounding ring to it," Artemis mused. Barbara laughed and closed the laptop.

"So what now, Ms. Detective?" she asked, "Do we confront him or wait until we need to?"

"Well we could blackmail him..." Artemis suggested before realizing what came out of her mouth. She glared at the redheaded girl that was smiling and actually pondering it, "Don't you dare, Barbara Gordon!"

"Oh I just might dare, dear Artemis," Barbara giggled out as Artemis tossed a pillow at her.

* * *

-Warehouse 63, 11:15PM-

Naruto was humming to the tune of Hanging by the Moment by Lifehouse as he casually swung from his bounds. He already tried ripping his hands free by enhancing his strength with chakra, but Kitten had heard the noise and skipped back in and chastised him for trying to break the handcuffs that were enhanced to the point to withstand even Solomon Grundy's massive strength.

A shatter above him caused him to duck his head. Glass and small bits of metal rained down on him, causing Naruto to curse from the pain of being struck in the back of the head with a falling metal bar.

"Goddamn it!" he swore as another metal bar struck his spine. He groaned and started sending massive amounts of chakra to his back in order to keep it from breaking. He looked up when he heard a small huff and felt a gaze on his person.

"You try and save someone and they go and cuss at your entrance," Supergirl said with a small smile. Naruto smiled back at her without lifting his head up.

"That's fine and dandy, but could you do me a favor and put my goggles on?" he asked her. Hearing a small whoosh and feeling the familiar tug on his hair alerted him that Supergirl had placed his goggles on.

"Thanks," he said, looking up to examine her. A small grin came on his face as he noted her clothing. "Nice skirt. Complements your shirt and eyes nicely. Guess dressing well runs in every Kryptonian aside from the Big Mr. S."

"Hey watch it, pal," Supergirl said as she tore the cuffs binding his hands apart, "Hitting on me is one thing, bashing my family is another."

"Yeah, yeah," Kitsune said as he fell to the ground. He groaned as he stood and rolled his shoulders. He walked over to a small box that his other clothes were on and pulled his form fitting shirt on, his gloves and skull hat following. He checked to make sure that his hidden knives were still hidden in place and smiled back at Supergirl.

"Thanks for the help. I've got it from here," he said as he resumed packing his weapons back into his holsters. Supergirl crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, you sure got it from here," she said walking past him and slapping his butt. Kitsune jumped up and tossed one of his kunai into the air, it landed with a loud clang, causing the alarms to go off. Several armored men ran into the room 'Hupping' as they ran before surrounding the two heroes and aiming Lexicorp issued rifles at them

"This _so_ figures," Kitsune muttered as he readied another kunai in his hand while Supergirl immediately put her back to his and went into her own fighting stance. A screen lit up to their left and Kitten appeared with teary eyes.

"_Foxy Lover how could you?_" she shouted at Kitsune, "_I loved you! I worshipped you! You were everything to me! And you repay me by sneaking out with...a freak!_"

"Friend of yours?" Supergirl whispered as her eye twitched in anger. Kitsune growled.

"More like an angry fan girl," he grumbled back.

"_I heard that! And now you leave me no choice but to do as Daddy asked me to,_" Kitten sobbed into her hands before smiling insanely and pointing at them through the screen, "_Kill them!_"

"Oh _that's_ original..." Kitsune said as he twirled the kunai in his hand before tossing it at the nearest Lexicorp gunman. It went through the helmet and into his head, making him fall back and pull the trigger as he did. His laser shots went through a good few other Lexicorp gunmen, giving Kitsune the chance to flick his blades out and rush another gunman, impaling him on impact and using his body to vault to the next target.

Supergirl rushed a few other gunmen, taking a good number of them out with a Kryptonian powered punch. She immediately went from that small group onto another group of gunmen. Lexicorp soldiers kept marching into the warehouse from multiple areas, making her wonder where they were all coming from.

Supergirl lifted one man up and tossed him into a group of three others. Behind her, two Lexicorp soldiers readied a missile launcher and took aim.

"Fire!" one of the soldiers said, earning Supergirl's attention. She turned to see a missile flying at her and raised her hands up to catch it. She caught it all right; unaware it was filled with fragments of kryptonite. Supergirl started to feel drained and her hold on the missile dropped, allowing it to push her back through a group of rising soldiers.

"Let go!" Kitsune shouted at her. She opened her eyes to look at him, ready to shout a negative answer when she saw he had a kunai ready to be thrown at it. Supergirl released the missile and dropped to the ground as it flew towards Kitsune's position. Kitsune tossed his kunai and then extended his arm, palm following the kunai and released a large gust of air. The sudden burst not only slowed the missile, but sped the kunai up, allowing it to pierce the metal of the missile nose.

A large explosion destroyed the warehouse and killed all of the Lexicorp soldiers within it. Kitsune had managed to run to where Supergirl lay and scooped her into his arms before leaping through a window and onto the nearby docks. He used his own body to shield her from any sudden kryptonite shrapnel that might have flown at them in the explosion. He looked up after the explosion and stood, rubbing his arm that was wounded not two days ago and now dislocated.

_Thank god for my advanced healing,_ he thought as he set his arm back in its place with a grunt. He looked down at the unconscious Supergirl and again cursed his sympathetic heart.

"Why couldn't they have been regular goons and not Lexicorp trained personnel?" he asked no one in particular as he crouched down and picked the unconscious heroine up. Kitsune took a moment to take a breather and then channeled chakra to his legs as he ran to one of the nearby hideouts Selena owned to give the Kryptonian some mediocre medical attention before bailing.

_Yup,_ Kitsune thought as he dashed down an alleyway at the sound of sirens, _Selena is going to have my head for this. Especially because this was a school night. Oh I'm so grounded again..._

* * *

-Metropolis 3:00 AM-

"So we have a deal?" Joker said to the man behind a counter as he set a bag full of hundred dollar bills from Metropolis First National Bank on it. A quiet 'yes' was heard before something else was set on the counter.

"Nyeh, see? This is beautiful, Joker, yeah," a voice similar to the late Al Capone said, "We'll take care of this new guy for ya. How badly to ya want us to bump off this boob?"

"Oh no hurries here," Joker said with a laugh as he stood, "I just want to see how well he does before I invite him to play again. If you do kill him, I'll be impressed. TTFN: Ta-ta for now! He-he-ha-ha-haha-he-ha-ha!"

As Joker left the bar through the back, he grinned and rubbed his hands together as his plan slowly fell in place. He now had only two more visits to make in Metropolis before actually leaving back to his personal playground.

"Well then let's get to work later," the Al Capone impersonator said, "I wanna count the dough we made."

A quiet 'yes, sir' was the reply to the impersonator's words. A timid man stood from behind the counter and closed the bag of money before carrying it along with a wooden doll with a scar down the left side of its face out of the bar.

* * *

**AN: What is Joker planning? Who did he want to kill off? And who was it he hired? Will I ever answer these questions? Maybe. Next time; Kitsune and Supergirl get to know each other before a new threat to the city makes itself known, Artemis and Barbara go to the Kyle residence to confront Naruto only to come face to face with Selena Kyle, and Catwoman has choice words with an old friend. Episode 9: Puppeteer's Duty. PEACE.**


	9. Episode 9

**I've just got to say how much I am starting to enjoy DC. My favorite DC hero, I think I've decided, is Hal Jordan. The Green Lantern. Gotta love the good ole GLC. Bats is in second now. I just read Blackest Night, EFFIN AMAZING. I have a plan for that storyline to be encrypted into this as I do with Superman: Doomsday, Batman: Hush/Hush Returns, and Batman: The Long Halloween.**

**Question: Should I just say "fuck it" and put this under the DC universe genre or leave it in the Young Justice genre? Cuz I'm starting to think this is going much farther than just being limited to YJ and JLA/JLU.**

**Disclaimer: No quirky thing today. I don't own DC or Naruto. Sadface...**

* * *

**Episode 9: Puppeteer's Duty**

-Kitsune's Den, East Side of Gotham, 5:30 AM, Monday-

"Ugh..." A teenage blonde groaned as she rubbed the back of her head and woke up, "That is the last time I play catch like that with Clark on a Sunday evening..."

"Well that sounds like some sort of innuendo," a teen's voice said from her right. The girl shot up from her lying position before groaning and grabbing her head. A hand was placed on her shoulder and slowly eased her back down onto the surface she was lying on.

"Easy there, Supergirl," the voice said. Supergirl turned her head in the direction of the voice's origin and narrowed her eyes, trying to focus on its owner. It was too dark, even for the Tower's standards.

"Wh-who are you?" Supergirl asked as she tried to focus on the origin of the voice. The person, she assumed a male, chuckled and she heard the scratching of a head.

"Man, that Kryptonite definitely hurt you more than I thought," the boy (man?) said. She felt a cloth get placed on her head and blushed slightly from the care this stranger was showing her. The voice seemed familiar but she couldn't place it anywhere.

"Ok, let's start with what you remember," the boy said, "What's today?"

"Um...Sunday the ninth?" the teenage heroine asked, "Where am I?"

"Close, it's actually the morning of Monday the tenth," the boy said, he removed the cloth and put his hand on her head, "Fever is dropping, good memory so far..."

"Where am I?" Supergirl reiterated, "Tell me where I am!"

"Whoa, ok, ok," the boy said. Her heightened senses were returning and she could make out the form of a teen boy near her age holding his hands up in defense. The glint of some form of eyewear was around his neck and she could make out three scratches or scars on his cheeks. The boy sighed and ran a hand over his head, "You're at one of my safe houses."

"Ok, who are you?" Supergirl asked. The boy chuckled and moved the eyewear back over his face before turning a low light on. A messy haired blonde wearing a pair of goggles, gloves, skintight black shirt, black cargo pants and steel tipped boots stood before her with a small smile.

"We've already met," the boy said, "But I'll reintroduce myself. I'm Kitsune."

Supergirl blinked in confusion before the night's events came back to her at full force. She remembered being surrounded with Lexcorp's private army and being shot at with a missile. She remembered Kitsune calling for her to ditch the missile with her hands and then nothing. The blonde Kryptonian teen slowly sat up and held her head. She looked back at the teen that was leaning against a dresser with his arms crossed over his chest, reminding her of Flash when he was leering at someone.

"Finally get some memory back, Supergirl?" Kitsune asked with a visible arched brow. Supergirl nodded and twisted herself out of the bed, pleased to see she was still fully dressed.

"I did," She said before looking at the goggled teen, "You don't have to call me Supergirl, you know."

Kitsune gave her an amused look, "Oh really? What am I supposed to call you then?"

"You're part of the League aren't you?" Supergirl asked. Kitsune burst out laughing, causing the Kryptonian to watch in confusion as he fell to his back laughing. As the teen lifted a goggle to wipe the tears from his eye, he calmed down and sighed in content.

"Me? A member of the Justice Friends?" Kitsune said tauntingly, earning an annoyed glare from the super teen standing with him, "Please! I'd rather face Joker, Killer Croc, and Grundy in a fisticuffs bout with my hands bound behind my back in some of Bats' titanium rope!"

Supergirl crossed her arms over her chest, unknowingly increasing the perception of her impressive bust (it's not Kitsune's fault he's a hormonal driven boy, now is it?), and narrowed her eyes at the goggled teen. Kitsune knew that look; it was the look all men fear, the look that screams 'you are not getting any of one of your three basic needs met anytime soon by anyone'. Allow me to elaborate: Men are simple creatures; we need only three things to live: Food, Sleep, and Sex. Sad, isn't it? Obviously she can't stop him from sleeping or eating, so that only leaves something else.

"What's so bad about being in the Justice League?" the heroine asked. Kitsune mentally thanked god for his mercy before replying to the peeved Kryptonian girl.

"Well how would you feel about a thief joining the League?" he asked her, getting a confused look from the blonde girl. Kitsune shook his head, stood and opened the door, gesturing for her to follow, "Let's get some breakfast, I have a feeling this is going to be a long conversation."

Supergirl followed the teen as they left the bedroom and went into a living room kitchen area of an apartment. The goggled teen went to the stove and lit it before putting a pan on the stove. He opened the fridge and pulled a carton of eggs out. Supergirl went to a chair and took a seat, being careful not to break said wooden chair as she pulled it out.

"How do you like your eggs?" Kitsune asked the heroine as he juggled two eggs in his hand and looked at her. Supergirl arched a brow at his quirk before replying.

"Sunny side up," she said, "Why don't you remove your goggles?"

"Same reason you haven't told me your name yet," the thief said as he cracked the eggs on the pan, "Gotta keep my family safe."

Supergirl relaxed in her seat and noticed his slightly tensed stance, "Why don't you relax? I'm not going to hurt you."

"Oh I know," the blonde teen said from his spot making eggs, "But your uncle, cousin, whoever Blue Boy is to you, might."

"He's my cousin," the blonde girl said, removing her white gloves and checking for her communicator, only to find it broken, "Dammit."

Kitsune looked back at her for a second before going back to his cooking, "Must have broken when we, correction, _I_ jumped out the window of the warehouse. Sorry about that."

Supergirl sighed as she set the broken the communicator on the table before replying, "Not your fault. Gosh this is weird."

"What is?" Kitsune asked as he flipped an egg with his spatula, "That a boy is making you breakfast or that you're sitting around with a dangerous criminal?"

"Both actually," Supergirl muttered as she rubbed her temples, "Superman is going to have my head for this..."

"Yeah well Catwoman is going to have mine," Kitsune muttered. Supergirl looked at the boy before her with wide eyes.

"Oh my god," she said, "You're that guy! The one Batman is wary of because you're with Selena Kyle!"

The spatula clattered to the ground and Kitsune rounded on his guest, "Y-you know who Catwoman is?"

"Everyone in the League does," Supergirl said, "Batman found out who she was because they well...dated."

Kitsune's heart stopped right then and there. It shortly began pumping again and he clenched his teeth, "You'll have to excuse me. I'm going to go kill Bruce Wayne."

The words hitting her ears, Supergirl utilized her super speed and stood in front of the door, blocking his way as he walked towards the door. Kitsune stopped in his threatening walk and growled at her.

"Move." Not a suggestion or request, but an order.

"No," she said, crossing her arms once again and narrowing her eyes.

"I will make you move." A threat.

"I'd like to see you try." A challenge.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, Super_girl_." An insult.

"You don't scare me, _Fox_." An assurance.

The two glared heatedly at each other for a good moment before they collided together. Not in a bout of super powers that could have killed many innocence nor in a loud argument that would have most likely woken the other people in the apartment. No, the two hormonal and definitely screwed up teens came together in a heated kiss. When they broke for air, Supergirl ripped Kitsune's goggles off.

"I'm Kara."

"Naruto."

The two teens went back to their make out session, Kara leading Naruto to the couch. The eggs in the frying pan would be left there, untouched, burnt to a crisp. What a waste of perfectly good eggs, some would think. More perverted minds would be concerned with how long the two were occupied in order for the eggs to be burnt so long.

* * *

-Outside Kyle Residence, 9:00AM-

"You knock on the door!" Artemis hissed as she looked at her friend, "This was your idea, Barb!"

"Yeah, well, I'm seriously rethinking that plan of blackmailing him," Barbara whispered back nervously as they stood in front of the home of the object of their affection. They had decided to confront the blonde teen Adonis named Naruto and possibly blackmail him onto their side of the law. So far, their plan had been going accordingly. Skip school, not a problem for them as they do it all the time, come up with a bullshit excuse for their respective parental guardians, and now all they had to do was confront Naruto Kyle.

The only problem was; neither of them were willing to knock on the door.

"Look, worst case scenario is he's at Gotham High," Artemis whispered, "So then we could just go back to our respective homes and wait school out."

"Are you _trying_ to get me killed?" Barbara hissed back to her friend, "If my _Dad_ catches word of me skipping school I'm dead. No, more than dead, I'm going to cease existing!"

"Well now," a mature feminine voice said from their right. The two girls looked up to see Selena Kyle standing before them, cradling a black cat in her arms while wearing sweats and a tank top. The illustrious art dealer was smirking at the two girls as she said, "What could two teenage girls be doing outside my door?"

* * *

-Kitsune's Den, 9:17AM-

Kara gave of a content moan as she rolled over in the bed and rested her head on the chest of the teenage boy lying with her. They were both drenched in sweat and panting slightly. She felt his arm wrap around her shoulder and she snuggled closer to his chest. Naruto released a tired yawn and Kara wrapped one leg around his.

"Now I know what Shyera was talking about when she and John would go into one of their rooms for half a day," Kara muttered. Naruto chuckled and hugged her closer.

"What have _you_ been missing out on?" the blonde thief asked her. Kara smiled and leaned up to kiss him softly on the lips.

When they broke from their slightly exhausted kiss, Kara whispered, "If Clark finds us here, he's going to melt your balls off."

"Bring it on," Naruto grunted as he rolled onto his side to look at the heroine lying with him, "So...any idea what drove us to go all the way for almost three hours straight?"

"Maybe it had something to do with your unnatural stamina or my alien genes," Kara smirked. Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"Ya got me there," the blonde said with a smile. They looked at each other for a moment in silence before Kara pushed him down onto the bed and straddled him, allowing the covers to slide off her back and reveal her body to him, making him stare in approval of her assets.

"Well, Mr. Kyle," Kara purred to the blonde, "Care to show me just how bad you can be?"

Naruto growled in eagerness before switching their positions, making the Kryptonian giggle in excitement as their activities of the morning resumed.

* * *

-Kyle Residence, 9:20AM-

"I'm waiting," Selena said as she scratched Kage behind the ear and kept her eyes on the two teenage girls in front of her.

"I-We-um," Barbara stuttered for a response. Artemis was just frozen as she looked at the black cat in the art dealer's arms. A growl from behind her gained their attention and she gasped when the Sabertooth rubbed his head against Selena's leg.

Selena set Sylvia on the ground and scratched the giant cat behind the ear before opening the door and looking back at the two girls with a smile, "Why don't you come in and I'll get you some refreshments while we talk?"

The two teens looked at each other in shock before looking back at the older girl and nodding dumbly. Selena walked back into the suite, with the Sabertooth growling at the two girls before following his mistress. The two heroines exchanged a nervous glance with each other before walking in.

"You can sit wherever you like," Selena said from her spot near the counter, "And don't worry about Fang, he'll leave you be. Can I get you girls anything?"

"No, thank you," the two replied simultaneously

Barbara and Artemis sat down on the couch while Selena made her morning coffee. A moment later, a black animal ran into the room yipping wildly from the back. Artemis and Barbara looked down and faintly recognized the black animal as the fox kit Megan told them about. The fox's yips stopped when it looked around for someone, spotting the two girls but ignoring them, before hanging its head and tail.

"Aw, poor Kage," Selena said walking back into the room and giving the small kit a scratch behind his ear, "Naruto will be back after school." _If he wants to live anyway._

"You mean Naruto isn't here?" Artemis said in surprise. Selena looked back at the two girls with a smile.

"Yes, I'm sorry girls," She said as a lie started spewing from her mouth, "I assume he's in his third period class now. Can I ask why the two of you skipped school to see him?"

The two girls' eyes widened as they were NOT prepared to talk to Naruto's mother. Artemis' face flushed dark red in embarrassment and Barbara stuttered for a response. Selena was completely entertained by the two girls' actions. Oh she knew who they were all right. Artemis the Archer, a girl Naruto had been speaking of lately, and Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl, another heroine that had apparently captured her apprentice's heart. She had an inkling whether her 'son' had been playing the field with heroes just as she had been, Batman for instance, but to actually see the two heroines come to her home...she knew they had found out who he was.

"Ok, you both can go now," Selena said after Barbara had told her they were school journalists that were promised a home interview with Naruto Kyle by the boy. The art dealer pretended to buy it and sent the two girls on their way. She was surprised the girls didn't even try to ask her about the strange pets she had, but Selena only chalked it up to the fact they were not prepared to come face-to-face with the 'innocent' mother of Naruto Kyle.

There was a problem with how they had so easily found his identity, and Selena knew it. Naruto hardly messed up enough to leave any details behind about whom he was and how he could do what he could do. Selena decided to pay a visit to one of her scientist friends later that night.

* * *

-Kitsune's Den, 12:11PM-

"Holy shit," Naruto panted as he collapsed on his back in the bed. Kara panted and fell forward as her orgasm died down, resting once again on the slightly shorter teen's chest. The two teenage lovers laid in silence as their breathing evened out and their lust for each other died down.

"So..." Kara started as Naruto was idly rubbing her back, slightly distracting her from her train of thought, "W-What do you think started our little, um..."

"Might have been your Kryptonian genes," Naruto muttered out. When she gave him an odd look, he cleared his throat and continued, "I did some research on Kryptonians about a year ago and found Dr. Klein's work on Superman. Klein hypothesized that Superman, or Clark, was more refined from sexual activity because of his...well, growing era. As it was then more so than now, teens usually only went all the way when they were going steady. But with today's society..."

Kara nodded, "I hear ya. And Clark was already married before he even attempted to jump someone, but that was his wife. Don't tell him I know that."

Naruto snorted, "Oh yes, cuz I'd _love_ to talk about Superman's sex life. Wanna take a shower?"

Kara groaned as she hugged the blonde closer to her, "No..."

Naruto shrugged, "Suit yourself, Kara."

He tried moving the girl atop him to the side, but she didn't budge. Raising a brow, Naruto pulsed chakra through his muscles to try and move her once again only to get the same results. He then noticed Kara was sniffing him, or rather, inhaling his scent heavily. It was now that the blonde wished he paid attention to what the STAR Labs scientist said about his 'attraction gift' as he realized it wasn't Kara's freaky genetics that caused their morning long sex romp.

It was his.

* * *

-Gotham Bank, 7:00PM-

"This is a stick up!" a masked robber said as he waved the AK-47 in his hand around, "Everyone hit the dirt, NOW!"

People all dropped to the ground and stayed put for a good half hour. It was then one man stood up, pulled two items from his bag, and walked past the masked men. In one hand was a M9 handgun, and in the other was a puppet that all Gotham City dwellers feared; Scarface. Scarface was 'dressed' in his usual blue pinstriped suit and wearing a mini-fedora as well as carrying his easily recognized Tommy Gun.

"Yeah, see," Scarface 'said' as he stood across from the teller, "Put all the berries in the bag, toots. Do it now!"

"Up to no good again, Walter?" a voice asked from the doorway. The puppeteer and puppet both turned to see Police Commissioner Gordon standing at the doors with his hands up and a Kevlar vest on.

"Well, well, well," Scarface said, "Lookie here, Wally. Jimmy Gordon, head honcho of the police force, come to try and negotiate for the people of his fair city. Question for ya, Mr. Commissioner."

"Go ahead Walter," Gordon said.

"Hey!" Scarface shouted, his gun holding hands moving up and down, "I'm the one talking, Jimmy! Me! Not Wally here, _me_!"

Gordon held his hands up in an apologetic manner, "Sorry about that Scarface. It's been so long that I forgot _you_ were the brains of the operation."

"Glad we got that agreed on," Scarface said, "Now listen up Jimmy, because I'm not here just to rob this here bank. No. I'm here because I'm calling someone out."

Gordon arched a brow. Scarface was never one to reveal his plans, especially to him or Batman. This meant that someone had hired the on the lamb crook to do what he was doing. Gordon was glad he decided to intervene when he did, otherwise, his police negotiator would be the equivalent of Swiss cheese. He took a step forward and prepared to talk with another one of Gotham's famed psychos. He only wished Batman was there to back him up.

* * *

-Kitsune's Den, 7:45PM-

"Would you just listen to me for a second?" Naruto asked the blonde super girl that was trying to undress him.

Again.

He had managed to take a shower after his revelation took place, only to be assaulted in said shower by his new...acquaintance. Kara had been keeping him from leaving by utilizing her female assets to their fullest, but when that started to fail she went to her alternate plan. Using her Kryptonian genetics to keep him in the apartment. The only time she was even close to being sane, in Naruto's mind anyway, was after one of their three hour activities had taken a break. It was then Naruto cursed his advanced healing, immense stamina, and whatever the hell caused him to release pheromones.

"But Naruto," Kara pouted up at him as she fumbled with his belt, "don't you like me? Or am I just a plaything to you?"

_Oh goddamn it,_ Naruto thought as he found himself in a horrible situation, even worse than what he was just in. Guiling him into sex, that's just cruel...but it'll probably work.

_How am I even supposed to reply to that question?_ Naruto thought as Kara began fumbling with his belt again, making the blonde curse out loud. Pumping as much chakra as he could into his muscles, Naruto then pinned Kara to the ground.

Kara, however, took this the wrong way in her hazed mind as she said, "Ooh, a dominator. Kinky."

Naruto resisted the urge to scream in frustration right there and then. Instead, he glared daggers at the blonde heroine beneath him and utilized his killing intent to try and clear the Kryptonian teen's mind. As the lust in her eyes seemed to die down, Naruto tried to get through to the girl's head.

"Listen to me, Kara!" Naruto snarled, "Something is _wrong_ with _me_. There is no way that you would try and keep me in one place for so long. You have to let me leave. I have to get to STAR Labs. _Now_. I have to find out what's going on!"

Kara's mind processed this for a moment, freezing her in place. Naruto went to reach for his kunai before he found the world's colors deteriorate for a moment. Looking around, the blonde noticed a familiar red haired man with maroon shades sitting on his couch. Naruto stood and glared at Kyuubi as the entity smirked.

"**I see you've managed to unlock my second gift to you, Kit,"** Kyuubi said in his deep voice. Naruto took a step forward threateningly before he recalled Kara. Looking back down however, Naruto was shocked to see himself still holding Kara in place, as though they were frozen.

"Where am I?" Naruto roared as he turned back to the entity. Kyuubi frowned.

"**Watch your tone, Kit. I have no problem dispatching you if you push your luck,"** the entity said, **"You are lucky Kami-sama has deemed you worthy of a second life after what you did. Knowingly releasing me back to the world to get vengeance on Pein..."**

Naruto held his head in pain as memories assaulted him again. The blonde fell to his knees and screamed as the memories of his time in...wherever he was before he woke up in Gotham. A snap of the redheaded entity's fingers stopped the mental assault and Naruto glared up at the smirking Kyuubi.

"**Now that I have your attention,"** the entity said calmly as he materialized a glass of scotch, **"Allow me to explain what is happening to you. You and this...hmm, what is that female? A demon?"**

"Alien," Naruto grunted as he rubbed his head. The entity nodded and made a glass of scotch for his charge, which Naruto hesitantly took.

Kyuubi continued after a sip of his scotch, **"You and this alien are now mated. You've reached your seventeenth year. Technically it's your second time as a seventeen year old, but that's not really important."**

Naruto groaned and took a drink of his scotch, "I'm not even going to get drunk enough for this conversation, am I?"

"**Ha! You wish, Kit,"** Kyuubi said with a laugh before returning to his calmed state, **"As I'm sure you've heard during your studies, foxes are legendary, especially females, for their allure. Guess what skill you just obtained?"**

Naruto paled, "Oh fuck me sideways...How long until I control it?"

Kyuubi shrugged, **"Until you've made your own small harem I guess. This female you mated with is your first. She will be the most protective of you until she is with child for her first time."**

"You mean she isn't letting me leave because we're mated?" Naruto asked with distraught, "Oh man...Selena's going to chop my balls off..."

"**Not under your mate's watch she won't,"** Kyuubi said with a hint of mirth in his voice, **"Her being...an alien might change things up. Perhaps your allure started a heat cycle that won't be broken until she's sated. I digress, the main point is, until she willingly lets you leave."**

"How do you know all of this?" Naruto asked. Kyuubi chuckled and lowered his shades, revealing blood red eyes and smiled at the blonde.

"**Believe me, Kit, I know,"** the entity said before readjusting his glasses and waving his hand at Naruto. The disorienting feeling Naruto had was starting to fade and the blonde returned to his body. The being in his head said one last thing that had shocked the blonde before he left.

"**Be sure to bear me a strong litter of grandchildren...**_**Son**_**."**

* * *

-STAR Labs Greenhouse, Gotham City, 9:15PM-

"Just a moment," A redheaded woman said as her door knocked. She was covered in a gown of leaves and flower heads turned as though they were following her every move. This woman was none other than Pamela Isley, otherwise known as the biologist turned Eco-Terrorist turned counter Eco-Terrorist Negotiator, Poison Ivy.

Pamela was hardly one to admit her own mistakes, but then again, she believed she was right in her way of retaking the planet for her 'children'. Eventually, enough of the STAR Labs psychologists and a few of her old coworkers had gotten through to her. Now she was under constant surveillance by the JLA, only on the outside of her home, few criminals ever came to visit her unless they were to be attending a funeral.

Imagine her surprised look when a trench coat and fedora clad Catwoman was the one standing behind the door with a bag of herbal tea in her hands.

"Hello Ivy," the cat burglar elite said, "Care to talk over some tea?"

Pamela blinked in surprise before smiling widely and pulling her friend into her home. When the door was shut, Pamela gave Catwoman a once over.

"I guess I was right about you, Selena," Pamela said as the burglar removed her hat and mask, "You wouldn't ditch the leather. Especially if ole Batty was still in business."

"I didn't come here to discuss former flames, Ivy," Selena said with narrowed eyes, "I need your help..."

Pamela frowned and put her hands on her hips, "I've cleaned up my act for a good four years now! You know that!"

"It's not a crime, I swear!" Selena said before taking a seat on a mutated mushroom and rubbing her brow. Slightly concerned for her friend, Pamela called forth her own mushroom chair before sitting across from the cat lover.

"What's wrong, Selena?" Pamela asked quietly. Selena sighed before looking up at her friend with worried eyes. Immensely concerned, the former Eco-Terrorist stood from her seat and started making some tea, leaving a vine to ready it before sitting with her friend on her chair and hugging her.

"It's my son, Ivy," the burglar whispered in a frightened tone, "I think he's...changing."

* * *

-Kitsune's Den 9:23PM-

"This...feels...good..." Kara sighed out as Naruto gave her a massage while she lied on the couch. He managed to deter her away from anymore bedroom romps, for now, with a promised massage.

"I'm glad," the brooding blonde said from his spot straddling her back, "Geez you're tense...after all we've done today, you'd think otherwise."

Kara giggled before replying, "I wasn't the one that's been pushing me away."

She couldn't see it, but Naruto was not as in a good mood as he was earlier. Kyuubi's words worried him. Not the whole mate thing, no he'd gotten over that about twenty minutes ago. It was the fact Kyuubi called him...his son...Now that's just fucked up on so many levels.

"Can you turn the TV on?" Kara asked her lover, opening one eye to look at him, "I want to see if Clark has managed to do something about this whole Libya thing..."

Naruto nodded and stopped his ministrations for a minute, making the Kryptonian unconsciously frown, as he reached for the remote and turned the TV on. What was on the news wasn't the Libya protests though. Naruto froze as he looked at the screen. On the screen, with a gun pointed at her head, was Jinx. Next to her stood a pansy looking man holding a puppet. The puppet looked at the camera before the ventriloquist spoke for it.

"_Now if The Kitsune doesn't show up in an hour, I'm going to blow this poor girl's head off,_" the puppeteer said, "_For every hour he doesn't show up, someone dies. And for every hour he doesn't show up, I demand that one year be removed from my sentence! For every year denied being removed, I will kill an extra hostage. I hope you're watching, Kitsune. This is all on you, _Hero."

* * *

AN: Oh man...Will Naruto be able to escape Kara's entranced state in order to save his friend? What about Ivy and Selena, will the biologist be able to help her friend in need? Where the Hell is Batman or Young Justice when Scarface made his move? These answers and more will be answered in the next episode. Episode 10: Kitsune Begins. R&R. PEACE.


	10. Episode 10

**Now to continue where I left off so evilly before with the not so long awaited episode ten! Glad to see you all loved the last chapter, despite it being somewhat censored. I've decided to move my fic to the DC Heroes genre. Please note that I was one of TWO authors writing in the Young Justice genre. So give it up for Benjamin236, he does better than I in sticking with the genre!**

**He Who Rules with an Iron Hoof: Scarface and Two-Face are two different Batman villains. Scarface is a puppet used by a ventriloquist that is homage to Al Capone, his ventriloquist user is a quiet timid man that was formerly held in an insanity ward, while Two-Face is Harvey Dent, former District Attorney of Gotham City, that had been deformed by acid during a case trial against 'The Roman' (Or so I have read). I hope I cleared that up for you.**

**Question: Should I give Naruto his own opposite arch-nemesis, yea or nay?**

**Disclaimer: Calling all cars, calling all cars. The author known as Bonesboy15 has struck again, he's stolen the rights to Naruto and Young Justice. Please know that he is unarmed but still dangerous. Proceed with Caution.**

**Episode 10: Kitsune Begins**

* * *

-Kitsune's Den, 9:35PM-

"I won't let you!" Kara shouted as she held Kitsune's legs in a death grip. Kitsune groaned and pulled himself along the ground despite his mate clinging to his legs. He instantly regretted telling her he was leaving to save his friend from getting her head blown off as he was pulling his clothes back on. Kara threw a fit to rival a spoilt child, and when he made his way to the door...she threw him over her shoulder and pinned him to the ground with her _very_ superior strength.

"Kara...I've got to go..." Kitsune grunted out as he flicked his knives and used them to pull him along the ground, "He'll kill them!"

"You could get hurt!" the girl argued. Kitsune looked back at her with a slightly shocked look.

"This excuse coming from _Supergirl_? Man, it really _is_ game over for me then," Kitsune muttered the last part under his breath. He twisted himself over onto his back and, consequently, twisted Kara onto hers. Although surprised by his motives, Kara stayed latched onto his legs.

Kitsune grumbled before an idea came to mind. He looked down at his older mate and said, "Ok, Kara. I have a suggestion."

"Oh?" Kara asked looking back at him.

"You let me go do this real quick," Kitsune started, before continuing he hesitated a moment, "...and I'll go to the Tower and...Ugh, signupfortheLeague."

The last sentence was said in a defeated and quick tone. Kitsune was unsure how he knew that would actually let his mate release him, but he had a strong inkling it would. Kara looked unsure for a moment, but then a smile grew on her face and she pulled herself up to kiss him softly. Kitsune's eyes widened behind his goggles before he relaxed into the kiss. When Kara broke the kiss, she gave Kitsune a look crossed between worry, gratitude and lust.

"I'm going with you," Kara said. Kitsune stuttered for a moment as Kara glared at him. Eventually his own concern for her safety became apparent to him, and he rubbed his brow in annoyance.

_Damned fucking Kyuubi genetics..._ He thought. He stood up and helped Kara to her feet, giving her a defeated look and said, "I'll wait until you're ready. Just...keep a distance, ok?"

* * *

-Libya, warzone, ET (Earth Time) 21:45PM-

"We cannot be more grateful for your help, Batman," a rebel warrior said in a thick accent, "Seeing as they have hired Bane, we thought we would be doomed. Yet, here you are with this team of young heroes."

"Just tell us what you want us to do so I can go home," Superboy growled. Aqualad placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, Superboy," the commander of Young Justice said before turning to Batman, "We're all suited up and ready to move out."

Batman nodded, "You're playing espionage, kids. I need you to draw Bane out so I can put this on him."

Batman held a device up and twisted it so the team of teens could view it, "This is an electrical discharge bomb. Implanted on someone, and it's like being hit by four lightning bolts."

"Yeesh, sounds like overkill," Kid Flash muttered with a grimace. Batman narrowed his eyes.

"Bane can easily destroy a brigade of tanks while being fired upon by seven hundred RPG teams and come out without so much as a scratch thanks to this new version of his venom," the Dark Knight said, "Now does my EDB sound like overkill, Kid Flash?"

"No sir!" the fastest kid alive said with a gulp. Robin snickered and looked over at Artemis and Batgirl. The two girls were quiet ever since being pulled from their activities. Robin was concerned for Batgirl because she looked fidgety. She had been ever since that Joker scenario where she got a concussion. Robin swore he was going to knock the smile off that clown's face next time he saw him.

* * *

-Gotham Bank 9:45PM-

"So what are you doing back in town, Scarface?" Jinx asked with a hiss, "No way you'd show your wooden mug after what you did last time."

"Shut up doll," Scarface said, waving his Tommy gun at her from his spot, "I was hired see? Got a lot of berries coming my way for giving the Fox kid a dirt nap. You'd better pray that boy shows."

"You're lucky that my parole officer can probably see me or I'd be sending you flying!" Jinx hissed. A gunman standing behind the bound teen backhanded her across the back of the head. No sooner after he did that did a shuriken fly through the glass door and sink into the back of the gunman's head. The body fell forward and landed on the side, his gun firing into a hostage's leg.

Walter jumped back behind the counter, his hand holding Scarface and his hand containing the handgun were aiming at the door. Scarface had his own Tommy gun aimed at the tied up Jinx.

"Nyeh, come on out and show yourself!" Scarface shouted, "Come out or I'll pump the girl full of lead! You have til the count of ten! 1...2..."

* * *

The police surrounding the bank were all looking around to see where the projectile had come from. Some officers were scrambling for a spotlight on the roofs and Commissioner Gordon was trying to land his flashlight on the perpetrator he saw run across the rooftops a few minutes ago. As the Commissioner kept scanning the rooftops, Kitsune dropped down onto a parked taxi cab a good block away, creating a nice dent in the vehicle's roof. The alarm, surprisingly, didn't go off.

Jumping forward to the street and clutching his ankle, Kitsune grumbled to his accomplice that flew down to his side, "Remind me never to try that again..."

"Are you ok?" Kara, who was now wearing a tight long sleeved black shirt and dark orange cargo pants that used to belong to Kitsune as well as wearing a spare set of goggles, asked him with concern in her eyes. Kitsune nodded and rolled his ankle before hopping on it experimentally. Having checked and made sure his ankle was fine, he turned to Kara and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Remember what I said," Kitsune said to her with an ordering tone to his voice, "Stay out of the gunshots. You're a new hero, Flamebird, you can get the hostages in and out after I deal with this puppet freak. Or we can just bolt afterwards. It's up to you."

"Just be careful," Kara, or rather, Flamebird said with a pleading tone to her voice. Kitsune nodded and, on a second thought, kissed her softly before running towards the cops, something his internal instincts were screaming for him NOT to do. Flamebird shifted uneasily from one foot to the other before running after him at a human pace.

"Hello Commissioner," Kitsune said as he rushed past the police blockade. Commissioner Gordon whipped his head and flashlight around and grinned. He held his arms up calling for a hold fire and watched as Kitsune suddenly made a duplicate of himself. The duplicate sped up and crashed through the front door while the real one stopped just outside the window.

"Drill him boys!" Scarface shouted as he, Walter, and the other two gunmen started unloading round after round into the duplicate. The second the first pulled entered the clone, it exploded in a large smoke cover.

Kitsune held his side as the memory of the gunshot flashed through his mind. He took a split second to push the feeling aside before leaping into the window through the glass and into the smoke.

"The mug brought another pal along!" a gunman shouted before reverting his aim towards the window.

Kitsune ran through the smoke with his kunai in each hand. He ducked under a barrage of bullets from the gunman with an Uzi and then leapt up when the gunman had to reload. As the gunman put another clip into his Uzi, Kitsune reversed the hold on his kunai and drove them into the gunman's skull. Kitsune turned the body around, using it as a shield, and placed his hand on the arm holding the Uzi. He lifted the arm and snatched the Uzi before firing off a few rounds into the body of the other gunman.

"Well ain't this a yank in the chain?" Scarface said, aiming his Tommy gun at Kitsune while Walter aimed his handgun at the bound Jinx, "What are ya gonna do now, wise guy? Save your friend, or stop the bad guy? It's not like you's can dust me off."

Kitsune grinned behind his meat shield and tossed his Uzi aside. He dropped the dead body to the ground. Walter moved his handgun towards the now 'defenseless' hero. Scarface laughed and Walter allowed a small smirk to appear on his face.

"Dis is what Joker was worried about?" Scarface asked as Walter walked closer to the unarmed Kitsune. With another laugh, Scarface waved his gun towards the ground, "Get on your knees, ya sap, and if ya so much as snap a cap, I'll pump ya full of lead!"

"Nice to see how well that plan is going," Kitsune said as he placed his hands behind his back. The blades in his gloves were reversed and he gripped the handles of the right hidden blade. Walter kept walking closer, his smile growing slightly as he grew slightly bolder.

"I think you've lost your edge, Scarface," Kitsune said with his head bowed, "Because you obviously haven't done your homework."

"Oh really, wise guy?" Scarface asked, as Walter crouched and the puppet put his Tommy gun against the blonde's forehead, "Then why am I the one holding a rod to your skull?"

"Because I needed you to get close," Kitsune whispered. In a flash of movement, his arms flew out, one knocking the puppet away from Walter's hand and the other slicing the wrist of the ventriloquist. Walter dropped his handgun and his small smile dropped. Kitsune snorted and looked over at the puppet.

"Y-Y-You...you Son of a bitch!" Scarface shouted, sounding slightly distant, "I'll...I'll..."

"You'll what?" Kitsune asked with a smirk as he lifted the doll up and ripped the Tommy gun from its wooden hands, "You'll 'pump me full of lead'? You couldn't kill Batman all seventeen times you faced him! What makes you think you'd have lasted against me?"

"Sh-Shut your mug!" the doll shouted. Kitsune shook his head and turned back towards Walter, seeing him trying to crawl towards his revolver. With a flick of his left wrist, a blade imbedded itself into Walter's one usable hand, now disabling it. Walter released a cry of pain and Kitsune looked back at the doll in his hand. With a scowl, Kitsune pulled a lighter out and walked over to Walter, who was whimpering in pain.

"Wall-ter," Kitsune sung out, as he crouched down in front of the pained man. Getting the ventriloquist's attention, Kitsune held the puppet up along with the lighter in his hand, making the timid man go pale.

"You're a smart boy, Walter," Kitsune said as he flicked the lighter open and shut, "I want you to tell me where the money Joker paid you with is."

"Don't be a squealer, Wally!" Scarface shouted. Kitsune cast a glance at the doll and flicked the lighter shut before pocketing it. He then reached down and pulled the blade impaled in Walter's hand out, earning another yelp from the man, before holding it against the puppet's chest.

"You know," Kitsune said, "I've always wanted to have a flute. What do you think, Walter? Would Scarface here make a good flute? He sure seems durable enough."

"...n-no..." Walter whispered with wide eyes. Kitsune's grin grew.

"Oh yes," the blonde said, lightly tracing the suit of the doll with the blade, cutting the fabric, "I'm going to ask you again, and if Scarface here makes one sound. Just one measly sound. Well...I guess I'll start whittling away."

"Don't tell him anything, Wally!" Scarface shouted. Kitsune sighed and looked down at Walter with a disappointed look.

"Not even two seconds," the thief/hero said as he shook his head. He stood and backed away from the ventriloquist and ripped the fabricated suit off the doll. He dragged the edge of his blade against the chest of the wooden doll.

"...no..." Walter tried to shout, but it only came out as a dry whisper. Kitsune arched a brow.

Leaning down and cupping his ear, Kitsune said, "What was that? Speak up, will you?"

"I'll...t-t-talk..." Walter whispered. Kitsune smiled before setting the doll a distance away from the ventriloquist and making another clone by crossing his fingers. Wiping the sweat from his brow, forming a duplicate out of chakra was new to the blonde, Kitsune tossed the clone Scarface.

"If Walter makes any sudden movements, burn it...slowly," Kitsune said to the clone as he tossed it his lighter. The clone nodded and flicked the lighter open and on, making the slightly delirious Walter pale even more. Kitsune clapped his hands in front of the ventriloquist and shouted, "WALTER!"

The timid man jumped and looked at Kitsune with wide eyes. Kitsune narrowed his eyes behind his goggles and crouched back down in front of the puppeteer. Kitsune sheathed his knife and pulled a kunai out, not once taking his eyes off Walter.

"I'm changing tactics, Walter," Kitsune said, "Nod if you understand." Walter nodded slowly, making Kitsune grin, "Good boy. Now, if Scarface so much as makes a peep, I'm cutting something off of you. It won't come back."

Walter nodded as his eyes widened even further. Kitsune grinned slightly and lifted his goggles slightly before saying, "Now tell me where your money is."

* * *

-10:15 PM, Outside Gotham Bank-

"So your name is Flamebird?" Gordon asked the new heroine at his left. Flamebird was shifting uneasily from side to side, her eyes not leaving the bank. They could see Kitsune crouched in front of somebody while the hostages sat quietly, all staring in fear of the blonde goggle clad hero, and as a copy of him held a lighter close to the doll that was on the news.

The girl Jinx, Kitsune explained how Jinx was an acquaintance of his (in this sense meaning a former lover) and how he is now her friend, sat in the chair she was still bound in. He also explained that unlike with Flamebird, he and Jinx were not exposed to any pheromones like Naruto and Kara were. Flamebird trusted her mate's knowledge on himself, but not how the bald Indian criminal was now looking at the blonde with glazed eyes. Needless to say, Flamebird was fighting with herself to listen to her mate's orders.

"Flamebird?" Commissioner Gordon asked. Flamebird looked over at the officer with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, sorry," she said, "Uh, yeah, that's my name. Do you think he's done in there yet?"

Commissioner Gordon looked back in before he started to pale. He turned back to his relaxing teams and shouted, "Get your arms up! Do it! Aim! Take aim!"

The cops scrambled for their weapons and positions taking aim once again. Kitsune was walking towards the window with Walter over his shoulder. With an ungraceful drop to the ground, Kitsune plopped Walter onto the front steps of the bank. He looked around and held the revolver up, firing a single round before tossing the bullet away.

"I want the News cameras on me, NOW!" the blonde hero shouted. Gordon seemed hesitant but the News people were all too eager. Once he was sure the cameras were on him, Kitsune grabbed the head of Walter Wesker, younger and slightly more deranged brother of the deceased Arnold Wesker, and pulled him onto his knees. Kitsune flicked his wrist and his blade was in his hand.

"I know you're watching you sick fucker!" Kitsune shouted as he raised a blade to Walter's throat, "This is _my_ warning to you, Joker! Next time you want me dead; Do it yourself!"

With that said, Kitsune slit the throat of the Ventriloquist Walter Wesker. He shoved the body forward and the cameras followed. The duplicate of Kitsune came up behind him and lit the doll on fire before tossing it onto the dead body of Walter Wesker. The body lit aflame and the duplicate vanished in a poof of smoke.

Flamebird utilized her super speed and reappeared with her arms around Kitsune's chest. Kitsune gasped from the sudden lack of air. Flamebird noticed this and loosened her grip before apologizing. Kitsune smiled and looked over at the aghast Commissioner Gordon. With a grin he said, "I told you Commissioner, I'm no hero."

With that said, he and Flamebird vanished in a swirl of leaves. Commissioner Gordon sent the officers accompanying him into the building to check the hostages, only to find many of them with bullet wounds in their limbs, but nowhere that would be fatal. The Commissioner rubbed his temples and walked over to one of the bound hostages, an Indian girl with a shaved head and dressed in jeans and a green T-shirt while also wearing several amounts of jewelry. Gordon then unbound her arms and legs, steadying her as she stood.

"Tell me what happened," Gordon said to her softly, "Miss? Tell me what you saw."

"Una ām̐khōṁ... Vināśa kē ikā'ī... Asambhava," Jinx muttered with wide eyes. Gordon shook his head and called for a paramedic to help her with the shock. Jinx was then taken away by a paramedic while Gordon pondered her words. He had done his own fair share of time in a Hindu area as a rookie and learned a good amount of Hindi.

"'The Entity of Destruction?' What does that mean?" the commissioner muttered to himself.

* * *

-STAR Labs Greenhouse, 10:21 PM-

"And he's started to become heroic? Why that's not so bad, Selena," Pamela said as she rubbed her friend's back. Selena dabbed at her tears with a bio-degradable hanky.

"But what if he goes over to Batman's side?" Selena asked, "What if...what if I have to face him sometime? What if an alien invasion happens again? I don't want to risk losing my son for the planet!"

"Oh sweetie," Pamela said as she hugged her friend, "It's hard seeing your children grow, isn't it? My babies are growing all the time, and dying all the time, but that's aside from the point. Little Naruto will be fine, I'm sure you'll never have to worry about the chance of facing him in a fight. And there is no way that an alien invasion will happen anytime soon."

* * *

-_Apokalypse Bound_, Darkseid's personal Warship, ET 22:25PM-

"My lord," A servant of Darkseid said while on his hands and knees, "We have learned of a source equivalent to your...Omega abilities."

"What?" Darkseid asked as his eyes narrowed, "This is...impossible."

"But Father," Kalibak said from the side of his father's throne, "Wasn't Kal-El the one to defeat you only three Earth years ago?-Ack!"

Darkseid's only warning of his anger was the red flashing of his eyes. Darkseid had enclosed his hand around his son's throat, his eyes narrowing and the Omega Beam within them begging to be let out. The lord of Apokalypse growled threateningly at the boy in his hands, but quickly averted his gaze to the servant on the ground.

"No, please lord! I beg of you-AIIIEE!" the servant attempted to plea his freedom, only managing to infuriate Darkseid further, and thus becoming a victim of his Omega Beam. The charred corpse lie smoking before the seated God, soothing the dark being's anger slightly. Darkseid released his son before backhanding him away.

"Do not mention that infernal Kryptonian to me, Kalibak," Darkseid said as he stood and glared at his son, "It could be your last mistake."

His hacking son rolled to his knees and said, "I *cough cough* apologize Father. It will *cough-cough wheeze cough* never happen again."

"Hn," Darkseid grunted, ignoring the apology, "I wish to know what that fool was speaking of. Activate my All-seeing device."

"Yes lord Darkseid," another servant said, this one a pilot, as he pressed a few buttons on his counsel. A holographic sphere appeared before Darkseid and the lord of Apokalypse pressed his fingertips together as he sat back down. Darkseid narrowed his eyes at the events happening on Earth, watching with amusement as Batman fought against Bane with the teenage heroes of Young Justice. With a wave of his hand, a newscast of Gotham City came on the screen.

"_The once local hero of the Joker Hostage situation at Gotham Mall, Kitsune, is now being searched for in a manhunt. In a bizarre twist of events, Kitsune apparently has called out a taunt to the insane Joker while killing off the criminal mastermind known as The Ventriloquist_," the newscaster said. Darkseid arched a brow in interest as he watched the footage of Kitsune slicing the throat of the Ventriloquist. A sudden flash of red in the boy's eye came to his attention and Darkseid held his hand up to the sphere.

"What was that?" Darkseid muttered. He rewound the image to the flash of red and enhanced the image ten times to examine the eye. As the eye flashed red, Darkseid's eye widened in shock before settling back to their neutral stare.

"So...the son of Mara relocated himself from Enerji-torpaq..." Darkseid rumbled, "This could be interesting."

* * *

-Fox's Den, 10:56PM-

"Kara...Kara!" Naruto shouted, gaining the attention of his lust filled mate. The second they returned to their apartment, Kara had pulled her own goggles off and flung them across the room. She then tackled her fellow blonde to the ground and began kissing him deeply with their door still open.

Kara panted and frowned, "But...Naruto..."

Naruto pulled his goggles off of his head and tossed them on the table. He got back to his feet and helped his mate stand back up, to which she took the wrong way and leapt onto him, wrapping her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck. Naruto had no choice but to catch his energetic mate, lest she fall to the ground. Kissing Kara softly on the lips to put her in a small daze, Naruto then started speaking again.

"We can't keep doing this," Naruto said, "I mean...I still live with Selena."

"Move out," Kara said as she recovered from her daze and started kissing her mate's neck, disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm he was showing. Naruto arched a brow.

"What?" the blonde said. Kara grinned back at him.

"Move out and move in here with me," the heroine said with a grin before resuming her own actions. Naruto pushed aside the arousal he was starting to feel and thought over her suggestion. No WAY he would be allowed to continue his little sexcapades with Kara back at his home, but Naruto was sure that Selena would have a cow if he suddenly moved without talking to her about it. He also knew that unless he managed to blackmail her, which is impossible, she would never agree to let him move away from her home and into an apartment with a girl that was probably two years older than him. _Oh yeah, cuz every mother would agree to that plan,_ Naruto thought as Kara began grinding her hips against his, _Mm...Maybe I should think about this later-NO! No, FOCUS! You've got to figure something out before...hey that feels really good...Focus, Naruto, Focus! Ok, well, maybe if I bring Kara with me to talk to Selena...no that just screams bad idea. I wonder if I can make Kara scream again-Gah! Focus, Naruto!_

Kara, noticing the reluctance to succumb to her actions on her mate's part, leaned up and whispered into Naruto's ear, "You either move in with me in Gotham, or move in with me on the Watch Tower. Your choice."

_Sorry Selena,_ Naruto thought before he looked down into his mate's mischievous glinting eyes. After a moment, Naruto grinned and kissed Kara deeply while carrying her to the couch. He moved his left hand up and aimed it at the door, sending a large gust of wind towards it and slamming it shut.

The only sounds coming from the apartment for the rest of the night would be screams of pleasure from both of its occupants.

* * *

-Watch Tower, ET 23:02PM-

"This is the Watch Tower, eh?" Superboy said in a slightly amazed tone as he walked around with Megan. Megan smiled, happy she managed to convince her crush to join her in a celestial study session with her uncle. They were currently walking towards the main lab where J'onn was researching.

"Yes!" Megan said with an excited nod, "It's so very fun to walk around and interact with the other members of the League."

Superboy arched a brow before looking ahead of him, "Is that so? Huh...I dunno, I guess I could talk to Kara..."

Megan smiled, "Yeah, she's nice. She's the one who saved that village last month right? From the tornado?"

Superboy nodded, "Unlike...well, unlike _him_, I can talk to Kara. She's...kind of like an older sister."

Megan smiled again, "At least you're getting better at talking to people."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Superboy asked with a glance at the Martian on his left. Megan covered her mouth before bowing.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean that, I mean I did, but not in a bad way!" the Martian girl said in an apologetic tone. Superboy merely arched his brow and gave her a small smile.

"Relax, Megan," Superboy said, "It's ok. I was only kidding."

Megan blinked before smiling and lightly punching the Kryptonian in the arm. They laughed together as they neared the room they were looking for. Opening the door, they came across a surprising sight. J'onn was standing in the center of the room and seemed to be _arguing_ with Superman. Superboy started to back away until Superman spoke.

"What do you mean you don't know where Kara is?" Superman asked with balled fists. Suddenly intrigued, Superboy and Megan walked into the room, both asking what was going on and for Kara's whereabouts. J'onn sighed and activated the Holo-map, hoping to silence the three super powered aliens. The Holo-map zoomed in on Gotham City

"The last known whereabouts we had of Kara Zor-El is here," the Martian Manhunter said as he pointed to the eastern docks of Gotham City, "We also received reports of a large explosion of several Lexicorp Warehouses. That was Kara's last known location. I've tried raising her on her communicator and I can only deduce two things. One; Kara Zor-El has been kidnapped and her transmitter was destroyed. Or two; She was-"

"Don't say it!" Superboy shouted. Megan put a reassuring hand on Superboy's arm and he started to calm down. Superman walked up to Superboy and placed his own hand on the youngest Kryptonian's other shoulder.

"We'll find her, Superboy," Superman said. He turned back to J'onn and said, "I want the news reports, crime scene photos, anything to help us find her."

"I'll look into it," J'onn said with a nod. Superman turned to see Megan leading a distressed Superboy away, trying her hardest to console him without messing up. The Man of Steel sighed before turning back to the Holo-screens displaying several newspaper clippings, news stories, and pictures displaying the area consisting of the Lexicorp Warehouse Bombing as it had been dubbed.

_I hope you're safe, Kara,_ Superman thought as he began looking through the crime scene photos.

* * *

**AN: The Ventriloquist and Scarface are dead, Joker has been given a warning, and the Kryptonians are now worried for the safety of one of their own. Will Naruto manage to move away from Selena without any problems? How will Superman and Superboy react when Supergirl announces her leaving of the Watch Tower? What is Darkseid's sudden interest in Kitsune? Will Joker react to Kitsune's public warning? When the hell is Batman coming back to Gotham? These questions and more will be answered in Episode 11: Growing Up. R&R Peeps! PEACE.**


	11. Episode 11

**To reward MOST of your patience, here is chapter eleven of Kitsune: Son of Catwoman.**

**Question: One lump or two?**

**Disclaimer: Bonesboy15! This is the FBI, come out with the legal rights of the DC universe and Naruto in your hands, above your head! The door's opening, everyone take aim! Wait! What the hell is that thing? FIRE! FIRE! KILL IT-AHHH!**

**Episode 11: Growing Up**

* * *

-Selena Kyle's Residence, 11:23AM-

"I am _this_ close to cutting your favorite limb off!" Selena shouted at Naruto. The blonde flinched and sunk into his chair. Selena glared at him as she continued her rant, "Do you know how worried I've been about you? Gone for two days straight? Skipping school? For what? To discover that you've been sleeping with _Supergirl_! Of all the girls you could be with, you chose _Supergirl_?"

"And what's wrong with me?" Kara snapped back with her eyes flashing red, threatening to shoot lasers from them. Naruto placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Nothing is wrong with you, Kara," he reassured her before looking up at Selena, "Selena-"

"Don't you dare try and back out of this one, Naruto Kyle!" Selena snapped with a glare locked on the blonde. Naruto sunk back down into his chair again, losing most of the hope of this going smoother than it was.

"What's this about you calling out the Joker?" Selena yelled, "I know I raised you to be smarter than this!"

"Selena..."

"Killing the Ventriloquist and now all of Gotham's cops are after you!"

"Selena."

"Did I neglect to mention Batgirl and Artemis showing up at _my_ doorstep looking for you, as in, they know who you are!"

"What?" Kara asked as her eyes narrowed in anger. Her two comrades needed a small wake up call, Kryptonian style.

"Selena!" Naruto kept trying to get her attention.

"And you expect me to let you move out? You're only seventeen, Naruto! Add those other problems and you'd be in jail by the end of the week! If I even thought for one second-"

"MOM!" Naruto shouted, making the house go dead quiet. Selena stopped in her rant and looked at him with wide eyes. The blonde looked down at the table, slightly ashamed of shouting, and continued softly, "I...I don't know what I was thinking when I killed Walter! I-I didn't want Joker to hurt any of my friends! So I sent him a message, ya know, like Croc would. And this thing with Kara...I don't know what the fuck is going on, Selena and I'm...I'm scared."

Selena sat down as Naruto buried his face in his hands, shaking with silent sobs. Kara wrapped her arms around Naruto's side and rested her head on his shoulder, whispering calming words to him. The black haired woman watched the two's interaction and smiled slightly. Seeing Naruto so vulnerable and scared brought the maternal feelings out and she placed her hands over Naruto's and pulled them away from his face.

Cupping one cheek and wiping a tear away with her thumb, Selena said softly, "I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm sorry I jumped the gun and bit your head off. Now...let's talk about this thing you and...Kara, was it?"

"Yes ma'am," Kara said softly as she rested her head on Naruto's shoulder. Selena smiled and released Naruto's face, allowing him to sit back and wrap an arm around Kara, his free hand clearing the tears from his eyes.

"Ok," Selena said with a nod, "This thing with you and Kara...where do you see it in six months?"

Naruto lazily traced a circle on Kara's shoulder as he scratched the back of his head before he spoke, "That's the thing, Selena...Remember what that STAR Labs lady said? My fox DNA...the allure pheromones?"

Selena's eyes widened and she asked, "Then is this even real? This relationship?"

Naruto sighed and rubbed his brow with one hand before speaking in an assured tone, "Yes. Kara and I fought back to back against Luthor's personal soldiers. Then we uh..."

At the beaming smile on Kara's face and the large blush on the whiskered blonde's, Selena's eye twitched and she said, "Moving on!"

"Well after that we saw the whole bank thing go down," Naruto said, leaving out just how long he and Kara went at it, "And after I basically called Joker out, Kara and I went to sleep so...then we came here!"

"How did you end up at that warehouse anyway?" Selena asked. Naruto chuckled nervously when Kara turned in his direction, also wondering just how he ended up in that scenario.

* * *

-Watch Tower, ET 11:25 AM-

"Do you have ANYTHING, J'onn?" Superman asked with slight irritation. He was very uneasy about not knowing where his cousin was. He glared at the screen before him as it showed Batman and Young Justice fighting Bane.

"I've found this small video," J'onn replied. Superman was glaring at him intensely and the Martian played the footage.

"By the gods..." Wonder Woman said in shock as she and Superman watched Kitsune kill the Ventriloquist on live television and then call Joker out. Superman's jaw was unhinged and he was wide eyed.

"What...why did he kill him?" Superman asked J'onn. The Martian Manhunter shrugged and fast forwarded the video to where Firebird becomes clear.

"Does she look familiar to you?" J'onn asked the Man of Steel. Superman's eye twitched as Firebird wrapped her arms around Kitsune's waist and kissed him before they vanished in a swirl of leaves.

"I'm going to kill Kitsune...and then, I'm going to kill Kara," Superman muttered as he walked away. Wonder Woman and J'onn exchanged a concerned glance before the Amazon followed the Kryptonian. J'onn looked back at the news footage and replayed the kill.

The Martian crossed his arms under his chest and said, "What are you playing at, Kitsune?"

* * *

-Unknown Location, 12:00-

"Hehehe, ha-ha-ha, la-la-la-la-laa," Joker hummed to himself as he danced around his hideout, replaying Kitsune's killing of Walter on three major screens, remixing it into a sick and twisted musical performance. He leapt onto a wall and grabbed some chemicals before jumping back to the floor and approaching his workbench.

"Let's see now," the green haired horror muttered as he poured a blue liquid into a vial, "A smigimes of this blue whatchamacallit, a dash of this red powder...Ah! And a single drip-drop of this green shit!"

"Oh, Mistah Jay!" A feminine voice called out, nearly causing the clown to pour the entire contents of a green beaker and making him fumble with it for a moment before facing the intruder and glaring at her. The deranged psychotic paused in his deed and turned to see a blonde woman with a large mallet resting on her shoulder. Harley Quinn, aka Dr. Harleen Quint, the Joker's former psychiatrist and a woman after his own heart. Literally. She was dressed in a, to be blunt, slutty clown/maid outfit in an attempt to woo the Clown Prince of Crime. The blouse she wore, while reflecting her normal black and red color scheme, revealed quite a lot of cleavage and her skirt barely covered anything. Her red steel toed boots also made quite the statement along with her black and white face paint.

"Harleen..." Joker groaned quietly before grinning as an idea came to him, "Harley! My sweet loveable Harley Quinn...Daddy has a job for you."

"Really, Mistah Jay?" Harley asked as the Clown leapt over to her side and threw his arm over her shoulders.

"Yup!" The deep voiced clown said, his insane smile returning full force, "I need you to entertain Batty and my newest friend, Kitsune!"

"I get to play with Kitsune? Goodie, goodie!" Harley cried before running off to 'prepare' for a night on the town. Joker grinned and went back to his work as the younger woman pranced around their (Joker's) base.

"And while you're keeping that little brat of a 'Hero' at bay, I'll be working on a little surprise for him!" Joker whispered to himself as he 'played' with his chemicals, "Ku-ku-ku-he-he...A-ha-ha-haha-ha! Haha-haha-ha!"

* * *

-Kyle Household, 12:10 PM-

"This is so wrong..." Naruto muttered as he sat next to Kara with Kage on their laps as he was forced to watch The Notebook. Selena thwacked the back of his head as she gave Kara a box of tissues. Selena sat on the loveseat next to Fang, who yawned before plopping his head on her lap, and readied her own box of tissues.

"It is not wrong for a boy to be forced to watch a romance movie with his girlfriend and mother, Naruto," Selena shot back with a smirk, "Besides, poor Kara has been forced to play hero all the time, she barely has a life outside of the Justice Friends."

"What is it with you two and that name?" Kara asked, resting her head on Naruto's shoulder and lightly petting Kage as he slept soundly on her and Naruto's laps. When she had first met the little fox, she squealed and doted over his adorable-ness. When Selena mentioned with a pout that Kage would have to move out with them because of his detachment issues, Kara squealed again and lightly glomped the small Kit, earning a happy yip from the fox before he licked her cheek.

"It's every villain ever having to deal with the League's inside joke, Kara," Selena said before whistling softly and having Sylvia leap up onto her seat, climbing atop Fang and resting on him, earning a happy grunt from the recreated cat.

"Oh...Now that I think about it, though, it is kinda funny," Kara said with a small smile. Naruto snickered and moved his right arm to rest around her shoulders before kissing her head. The Kryptonian smiled as Selena dimmed the lights and turned the movie on.

Unknown to the two teens and cat burglar extraordinaire, a Kryptonian was watching them from the roof of an apartment about a block away. He watched with crossed arms and a mixed feeling of approval as his younger cousin watched a romantic film with the anti-hero known as Kitsune. The blonde boy seemed like a good kid, but to quickly take the life of a person troubled by some mental disorder. On the other hand though, it seemed as though Joker was taking his vision off Bruce and placing it on the blonde holding his cousin as tears rolled down her cheeks and the small red fox in their lap worriedly licked her cheek.

Superman sighed and crossed his arms as he saw a glisten of tear residue on the blonde boy's cheek. There goes his whole beat the crap out of the punk that deflowered his cousin...And here came the mentality that thought he would make for a good league member. Of course, Batman would shoot the idea down instantly. He was quite upset upon hearing about Walter's death, having been the one to cause his mental disorder to rise from the back of his mind.

_Think, Clark, Think...what do you do now?_ He asked himself.

* * *

-Three hours later-

"My god...that movie was so sad..." Kara sniffled out, resting the back of her head on Naruto's chest as they lied together on the couch, Kage resting on her stomach. The little fox had really taken a shine to the blonde girl, probably because of Naruto's scent being all over her.

"I love that movie..." Selena said as she dabbed at her eyes and pet Fang to reassure him she was fine. She loved that feature he had taken from her son when Fries made him, the Smilodon was loyal to a fault and cared for anyone she did. Unless he and Naruto were butting heads, a rare but funny thing to witness.

"I hate myself for saying this," Naruto muttered from his spot beneath Kara, "But that wasn't half bad..."

"See?" Selena said with a smirk, "You learn something new every day."

"I guess so..." Naruto muttered, yawning before he suddenly burst into an explosion of smoke. Kara and Kage yelped in surprise as they dropped to the couch. Selena blinked in confusion before recalling the bathroom break Naruto had taken halfway through the movie. Her eyes narrowed and she grit her teeth.

"I'm going to kill that boy," the woman said as she got to her feet and dashed to the blonde's room, Kara following behind her, confused and slightly worried. As expected, his modified Kitsune Outfit he received in the mail a few days ago before opening it today from a cured Dr. Victor Fries and Nora Fries, both now living happily in the Bahamas, was gone as was the usual pack he took with him when he was going to steal something.

"Kara, get your Flamebird suit on," Selena said to the girl she was slowly starting to get used to, "We've got a Foxhunt to participate in...Oh, Fa-ang..."

* * *

-Wayne Manor, 3:13 PM-

"Tell everyone my Mom's alternate identity, Mr. Wayne?" Kitsune growled as he rappelled down the side of the tallest tower on the site, "Bad move. It's time to take the fight to the bat's belfry."

Kitsune's new outfit looked similar to Batman's, only his ears were much more like a fox's and it attached at the base of his shirt, allowing him to pull it down like a hood if necessary. Fries had made the mask and rest of the suit out of a new prototype Kevlar armor that allowed more movement. Would it stop a bullet? No, but Naruto didn't care. It was badass. The sleeveless shirt was a remake of his original, only the fox on his chest being removed and the three horizontal stripes being traded out for a single vertical orange one. His gloves now had built in spikes sticking out over his knuckles. His boots, designed and made by Fries' wife (which surprised him), had steel soles and a steel tip made into them. His cargos now had built in kneepads that had to be SWAT issued, and overall...he looked fucking badass if he did say so himself.

Especially since his cowl looked more like a grinning fox than a shrieking bat. He swore to personally go down to visit the Fries and thank them...as well as offer them his services for when their child (They discovered Nora's pregnancy after Victor had successfully cured himself) was born.

Kitsune flipped off his rope and landed silently on a balcony, his new advanced goggles Victor had made for him with Gizmo's secret assistance, made B&Es much easier. The goggled thief grinned foxily as he expertly flipped over the trip lasers making up the first security system. The second was undoubtedly the security cameras that were easily found while the third were the hidden ones. God knows what else the paranoid hero had surrounding his mansion.

Carefully opening the doors to the balcony he was on, Kitsune kept an eye and ear out for the infamous butler he had overheard Selena talk about when she went to meet Bruce on a date. Rounding a corner, he found said butler talking to a slightly depressed Dick Grayson.

Kitsune narrowed his eyes behind his goggles and reached into his built in shuriken holster on his left leg, pulling two blunted shuriken out and carefully throwing one at the back of the butler's head, knocking him unconscious, and threw the other at Dick's throat, causing the boy to fall to his hands and knees holding his throat. Acting quickly, Kitsune rushed at the hacking pre-teen and chopped him in the neck, knocking him out. After checking Dick and Alfred for a pulse, he left to find something sentimental to the Wayne, but nothing too serious like a family photo.

Orphans had to stick together after all.

Kitsune ran across the ceilings to stay out of sight as he ran through the large manor. He looked for what had to be an hour in the display rooms before he saw it. A gem, about the size of his fist, that was an odd blue and seemed to call to him. The young thief tilted his head and grinned foxily.

"Hello precious gem," the boy whispered with anticipation. He grabbed a kunai from his holster and quickly wrapped strong wire around its handle before stabbing it into the ceiling. Tugging on the rope before he used it as a test, and now sure it was safe, Kitsune grinned again and slide down the rope carefully and expertly before dangling just above the glass surrounding the gem. Kitsune flicked his wrist and out came his new and improved trench knives that's blade was about five inches long while the handles were a variation of brass knuckles, fitting snugly around his gloved fingers.

_Thank you Bats, for making this far too easy,_ Kitsune thought with a smirk as he carefully cut into the glass. His inferred setting on his goggles showed there were no lasers aside from the square setting on the ground, meaning this would either be a fake, or Wayne had no attachment to it.

"What are you doing?" a grave voice asked, causing Kitsune to lose his stillness and flail to regain control. Kitsune expertly regained control and spun his body around to see Bruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon, both dressed in sweats and a tank top with towels draped over their shoulders. Barbara was wide eyed at seeing Kitsune in mid theft while Bruce was clenching his fists.

Kitsune remained silent before glancing back at the glass he cut a circle in and frowned, "Pressure sensory glass...Damn, I forgot you're the owner of the company that developed that!"

"Who are you?" Bruce Wayne asked with narrowed eyes. Kitsune looked back at him incredulously.

"You're kidding me right?" he asked dumbfounded, "You're asking me 'Who I am?' Seriously?"

"What are you doing in my home?" Bruce asked again, taking a step forward with clenched fists.

_Testy when you can't detect someone until the last minute, aren't you?_ Kitsune noted in his mind before dropping to the ground and bowing to the two in front of him.

"I am The Kitsune, thief extraordinaire," the teen thief said, a foxy grin crossing his face. Barbara's face flushed and Bruce Wayne developed a small tick in his eye, obviously annoyed.

"Get out of my house!" he said sternly. Kitsune playfully pouted and put his hands in his pockets.

"You're no fun..." he whined before a grin returned and he spun around, shattering the glass with a strong kick and grabbing the gem within. He tossed the gem into the air and caught it in his hand before sending a grin back to the shocked duo before him.

"Well, Bats, it's been a nice visit," he said, making Bruce's eyes widen, "But...I've got a very, very pissed off Cat to get back to as well as a possibly upset Bird to deal with. TTFN; Ta-Ta For Now!"

Before either of the two opposite of him could stop him, he threw a smoke bomb down, tossed a piece of paper to the former resting place of the gem he stole and ran towards the window at the end of the room. Sending chakra to cover his shoulders and head, Kitsune crashed through the steel guards outside of the window and fell towards the side of the cliff Wayne Manor rested on.

_Not one of my better plans..._Kitsune noted before flipping in the air and sending chakra to his feet, wincing at the sudden contact as he skidded down to rocky cliff side. Clutching the gem tightly in his right hand, Kitsune dug his trench knife into the cliff wall and grit his teeth as he started to slow down.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" Kitsune yelped as his trench knife fell out of the grove it made and he began falling again.

He landed after a fall equivalent to seven stories and felt something break from the impact.

"...FUCK..."

* * *

-Watchtower, 7:14 PM ET-

"He broke in to your _home_?" Flash said with wide eyes. Batman glared at the easygoing hero, who held his hands up in defense. Several of the original League members as well as Young Justice were standing around, Robin rubbing his throat and grumbling under his breath while Batgirl refused to look at an inquiring Artemis.

"Yes, Flash, he did," Batman said sternly before crossing his arms, "Which is why I suggest we don't bother with trying to get him to sign up for this."

"He broke into your house...and left you a note?" Black Canary asked with an arched brow. At Batman's nod, the blonde crime fighting knockout crossed her arms and said, "Well...he's obviously sending you a message."

Everyone looked at the woman with arched brows and confused faces, causing her to elaborate, "Think about it. Joker sent the Ventriloquist and Scarface after him and what happened? He killed them on live television and called Joker out. Smartest move he could have made? No, but it shows he won't be like you if Joker continues after him. He'll kill Joker. The crime against Bruce Wayne is probably because of Bruce Wayne's harsh separation and hurting Selena Kyle."

Batman blinked once, twice, and a third time before silently leaving the room everyone was gathered in. No sooner did he leave did a door on the opposite side of the room open and Supergirl walked in, her arms wrapped around a very nervous Kitsune. The whole room turned to face the two new entries and an eerie uncomfortable silence came over the room.

"...I'm here to join the League?" Kitsune nervously said with a grin in order to break the silence.

* * *

**AN: Funny Ending, right? Very funny. Sorry about the wait. It's hectic here...my house is under construction...AGAIN. Please review. PEACE.**


	12. Episode 12

**AN: Anyone know that the most recent voice actor for The Joker has been Mark Hamill? I literally just found out! I mean, Luke Skywalker, the original Star Wars Hero for those of you not familiar with the original films (SHAME ON YOU!), A GOOD GUY! Hero of the Republic, PLAYS THE JOKER! WTF DUDE?**

**NOTE: Yes, yes, I know...Inconsistency is annoying, but how about I just write the story, edit what I can, and NOT get bitched at, eh? I'll fix it...sooner or later...Anyway, I'm talking about Supergirl's aka Kara's aka **_**Fire**_**bird's name. It is Firebird. My bad!**

**Question: Is it hot in here, or is it just **_**you**_**?**

**Disclaimer: I own nut-zing...NUT-ZING! ...Aside from the plot of course.**

**Chapter 12: Proving Ground**

* * *

-Watchtower, 7:25 PM-

"Wh-What did he just say?" Robin asked with a twitching eye beneath his mask. All of the other heroes were also either gaping or staring at the blonde thief that shifted uncomfortably to his other foot.

"No? I can't? Aw, damn, what a shame!" Kitsune said with a snap of his fingers before he turned to Supergirl and asked almost hopefully, "Can we go home now? There's a Sanford and Son marathon on TV Land tonight and I have a bet with Gizmo concerning who can last longer watching the marathon."

Kara rolled her eyes and smacked Kitsune upside the head, earning a yelp from the hooded teen. She crossed her arms and glared at him, making him hold his hands up in defeat. This got the older female members of the League's attention and made them smirk. He obviously was smarter than he looked.

"Ok, ok!" the thief-turned-hero said, pleasing his apparent mate before crossing his arms and grumbling under his breath, "Better get a damn reward for this..."

"If you're good," Kara replied patting him on the head and smiling in victory. She looked back at the other heroes before her eyes landed on her cousin and she swallowed as he stepped towards them. Kitsune nervously smiled as the towering Kryptonian looked down at them with a judgmental stare. Superman kept his coal colored eyes locked on the dark red cowl-wearing thief before looking to the teen's left, making Kitsune release a sigh of relief, at his younger cousin.

"Kara," he started, making the blonde girl smile sweetly at him, "We need to talk. _Alone_."

"Ok, I'll just give Kitsune a quick tour and-"

"Now!" Superman barked, interrupting the girl by grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the room. Kitsune winced at the pleading look Kara sent his way, but remained where he was. The teen looked back at the others in the room, noting the way the two teen heroes Robin and Superboy were glaring at him. He grinned at them and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"So you're The Kitsune, huh?" Flash asked as he appeared at the cowl-wearing teen's side, "Heard a lot about you. I'm-"

"The Flash, fastest man on Earth..." Kitsune said waving his hand before smirking, "And according to some girls, in bed."

Robin and Superboy both dropped their jaws while Black Canary and Wonder Woman bit down on their lips at the look on Flash's face. Batgirl and Artemis both giggled as the red clad hero sputtered for a rebuttal. The Green Lantern, John Stewart barked a laugh out as did Kid Flash and Aqualad.

"Oh, I like him!" Stewart said as he wiped a tear away from his eye, "God...Finally, someone shut him up!"

"Hey!" Flash cried back in embarrassment before rounding on the hooded teen, "I'm not taking this from some punk!"

"What punk?" a stoic voice asked. Kitsune's mood turned sour and her about faced to come face to face with an impassive Batman. The two held a gaze for a long time before Kitsune crossed his arms and scowled.

"Get a date for the museum opening tonight, _Bruce_?" Kitsune asked with a frown.

Batman kept his cool and replied, "I'm not attending."

"Couldn't get a hooker to cash a check?" Kitsune asked. The members of Young Justice had to tightly grab onto Robin before he rushed the teen thief. Batgirl and Artemis winced and the more senior members of the League all felt their eyes widen. Flash turned to the Black Canary and put a hand over his mouth as he quietly and quickly asked, "Ten bucks says Bats kills him."

"Twenty and you're on."

Kitsune, had he not been raised by a master thief and art dealer, would have missed the slight clenching of the jaw the caped crusader succumbed to after his jibe. He _was_ raised by Selena Kyle, the infamous Catwoman, though, so he did notice. And he responded with a smirk. Batman's white-domino eyes narrowed at him, the muscles behind the mask being narrowed fully into a glare at the young thief's smirk, making him seem more like a fox.

"Well? Did you or not?" Kitsune continued to press the question.

"I believe that's none of your business," Batman coolly replied, his emotions being kept in check by the years of training he had over the boy.

"I'll take that as a no then," Kitsune said, his smirk growing slightly at the twitch in the man's mouth. The slight upturning made him know that Batman was catching onto his game, little by little. He wasn't sure if someone had clued him in to the fact Naruto Kyle aka Kitsune was extremely hostile to whoever was a threat to his precious people, but his note and his witty jibes to Batman's millionaire bachelor façade were not being met with extreme hostility. A high amount of irritation and annoyance, yes, but the Dark Knight was not giving off the feeling of borderline anger.

"Just so you know," Kitsune absentmindedly said as he walked towards the door Superman and Kara had left through, "The Cat still waits under the moon at the windowsill."

Batman knew it was a code; it was too ridiculous not to be one. He allowed a small smile to appear on his face. Apparently, Kitsune's anger had dimmed and he was granting the Dark Knight a rare offer: a second chance.

Before anyone else could say anything, Batman also left the room. Flash gaped at their spot before begrudgingly shoving a twenty into Black Canary's awaiting open hand. The speedster left the room with grumbles and the rest of the present league members followed suit, leaving only Young Justice and Black Canary where they stood.

"So..." Kid Flash finally broke the silence that came over the room, "Who's up for pizza?"

* * *

"Listen, Clark, I know he's a thief and a...killer, but he had a reason! I'm not going to stop seeing him and I want him to join the League. You don't know what I had to do to get him on the Watchtower! Not to mention how I got his mom to agree to this!" Kara started to plead her boyfriend's case, which made the Man of Steel grin inwardly despite keeping a hard glare locked on his younger cousin. Being overprotective was fun, but he had seen enough to already make a decision. Making the young Kryptonian sweat under his gaze was just a bonus.

After she finished her rant as to why Kitsune would be a good member for the League, Superman watched Supergirl pant and cross her arms. With a huff, Kara asked, "Well? You gonna just glare at me or what?"

"...You've thought hard about this?" he asked. Kara nodded sternly, her eyes flashing red.

"I'd leave the League for him."

That statement made Clark mentally roll his eyes. Kara could be quite the drama queen when it called for one. The Man of Steel crossed his massive arms over his equally massive chest and continued, "He makes you happy?"

"Would I threaten to leave the League if he didn't?"

Clark nodded in understanding. He was the same way once with Lois Lane, before they...Clark mentally shook the old wounds away and looked down at his younger cousin. In the darkest, most angry voice he could manage, Superman turned around and looked out the window at the Earth.

"I approve."

"This is so unfair! How could you-...W-What'd you just say?" Kara's outburst turned into a simple question of shock. Clark smiled and faced her, his amusement in her confusion obvious to any that looked at him. Her shocked face was so priceless; it was all he could do not to laugh outright at her.

"I said I approve of him," Clark reiterated, making Kara's jaw drop and her eyes widen, "As both a member of the League and as...your...boyfriend. However–"

"Damn, I knew there'd be a 'However'," Kara interrupted him, her surprise turning into a pout as she looked out the window. Clark chuckled and shook his head before looking at his slightly disappointed younger cousin.

"However," he continued undeterred, "He needs to first work with Young Justice."

"What?" Kara asked with wide eyes before frowning, "No. They're all too...too..."

"Annoyed by me?" Kitsune asked as he walked in the room, the only announcement of his arrival being a hiss of the automatic doors, "You've got a hell of an understatement if that's what you were gonna say, Kara."

"How'd you find us?" Superman asked with an arched brow as Kara went to her boyfriend's side, embracing him in an excited hug before lightly punching him in the gut. Kitsune doubled over and coughed before looking up at her and pulled his goggles down.

"Guessing that was for earlier," the blue eyed teen grunted out, earning a small nod of conformation from his girlfriend, before righting himself and looked at the Man of Steel, "As to your question Tights-boy, I simply sniffed Kara out. Kara's got a nice strawberry scent to her because of her shampoo."

Superman slowly nodded once he remembered that he was dealing with a superhuman teen. He was prepared to deal with a teen much like Robin, with only slightly heightened senses, but Kitsune wasn't like Robin. Far from like him as Krypton's Last Son was soon to find out.

"Well, now that I'm..." Kitsune shuddered slightly before he continued and looked at Kara expectantly, "A _Justice Friend_...Can I go home now?"

Kara giggled at his choice of words while Superman merely blinked in confusion. When she nodded, the boy grinned and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Kara rested her head on his shoulder, smiling as she led the teen to the teleportation room. Before they could arrive, a red siren blared all around the base. Cursing under his breath, Kitsune pulled his goggles up and kept a tight grip over his girlfriend's shoulders before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

Supergirl and Kitsune reappeared in the middle of the gathered Young Justice, Batgirl, Batman and Black Canary as the other League members on duty at the Watchtower came into the room. Kid Flash and Martian Girl jumped as the two appeared between them. Ignoring the group's shock at his mode of transportation, Kitsune expectantly looked at the Martian Manhunter.

"What's the deal, yo?" he asked with slang, confusing the Martian purposely before he pointed at the blank screen and he clarified, "What's the reason for the sirens, J'onn?"

J'onn nodded in understanding and pulled a viewing screen up. The gathered few blinked before Batgirl and Robin both groaned in annoyance. Kitsune's face lit up as he saw a bazooka carrying psycho shoot her way into Gotham National Bank.

"Oh sweet! Harley's robbing the GNB!" his statement, voiced with excitement, was met with several disapproving looks. Kitsune noticed this and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry...Old habits..."

Batman sighed and looked at Young Justice, "You six can deal with this. Batgirl will assist you."

"Oh, c'mon, Bats!" Kitsune protested, once again earning everyone's attention, "I could stop her all on my own! Why send these, no offence, rookies when an expert at dealing with psychos, you included, is standing right here! I can get Harley to surrender in fifteen minutes; these...kids will cause about fifty thousand in damage before bringing her down...if they manage to do that!"

"Was that a challenge?" Superboy grit out through clenched teeth; extremely pissed that one of his _foes_ was trying to play hero. Kitsune glared back at the clone and crossed his arms.

"Only if you make it one," Kitsune snarled back. Superboy moved before anyone could say anything and went to a teleporting pad. Aqualad groaned before looking at Kitsune when he grabbed the Atlantean's shoulder.

"You get twenty minutes, tops." Kitsune said with a seriousness none of those present could have expected, "If I think that the civvies are in danger, or that Harles is going overboard, you're out and I come in. Got it?"

Aqualad smiled, glad that the newcomer had at least a reasonable challenge while also keeping the civilians' safety in mind. He nodded in agreement before joining his team on the teleport pads. Kitsune growled and pulled his goggles and hood down, cracking his neck afterwards.

"Get a timer on there, J'onn," Naruto said, moving to the front of the group before looking at the Dark Knight with a slight shadow over his eye, "This was their choice. I could've gotten Harley to stop without this."

"So you say," Flash countered with crossed arms, "But you've yet to see them all go all out."

_No...I've yet to see them go out and win,_ Naruto thought as he watched Young Justice appear outside the Gotham National Bank.

* * *

-Gotham City, 8:03 PM-

"Kit-Soon, Kit-Soon, watch as I make the place go boom-boom!" Harley sang out as she fired at the Gotham National Bank. Her goons were currently dealing with a shootout and she was fully unaware of the seven teen heroes coming her way, none of them being her desired target.

"Okay lady," the deranged former psychiatrist started, aiming a ridiculously small handgun at the face of a terrified bank teller, "Give me the vault code and no-one gets hurt!"

"Harley!" Batgirl exclaimed as she rushed towards the promiscuously dressed clown-woman. Harley turned towards the newcomer and frowned when she saw that Batgirl was not alone. With a growl of irritation, Harley mumbled under her breath, "Mistah Jay didn't mention them being in da city."

"Give up Harley!" Batgirl cried as she leapt into a side kick, aimed right at the stomach of the older woman. Harley brought her massive cannon around and used it to shield herself from harm, also allowing Batgirl to flip casually off her kick and land in a crouched stance, preparing to move again if the weapon was turned on her. Which, it was.

"Hold still ya little skank!" Harley growled as Batgirl leapt away from shot from her bazooka. The Clown Princess, as she dubbed herself, growled in annoyance before looking at the occupied members of Young Justice. With an insane smirk, Harley turned her cannon on them, "Stop this, ya brats!"

* * *

-Watchtower, same time-

"Shit!" Naruto swore as he leapt over the railing to the teleporting pads. Pulling his hood on, he looked at the Martian at the teleporting controls and barked, "Get me in there!"

"I can't teleport you in there without the chance of you getting in the way of the blast," J'onn countered. Kitsune snarled, pulling a kunai out and throwing it at the Martian, making him turn intangible before returning to normal, his hand's sudden mass pressing on the button as he did. Kitsune smirked and gave a two-finger salute before he vanished in a flash of light.

Kara frowned at her boyfriend's recklessness but, with a great reluctance, remained where she was. Naruto had told her of some of his relationships to other criminals, and from what she knew about his 'friendship' with the crazed clown's psychotic girlfriend, Harley wouldn't hesitate to use someone against him.

"Well, he has guts, I'll give him that," Flash reluctantly admitted after looking back at the screen. Batman and Superman both exchanged a glance, a small nod from both sent to the other went unseen by the others.

* * *

-GNB-

The missile raced closer towards Young Justice and the hired goons, Artemis and her current foe to be specific, and it was by sheer luck that Kitsune appeared right behind Artemis, tackling her to the ground. Before Artemis could elbow her assailant in the gut, the missile shot overhead and impacted with the concrete pillar to the left of the main doors to the bank. The following explosion shook the bank's foundations and the ceiling crumbled.

Kitsune looked up and scowled before pushing himself from Artemis' prone form. Looking at Harley, the goggled hero scowled before he ran towards her and his redheaded friend. Flicking his right wrist, another kunai appeared in his hand, before he twirled it around and held it in a backwards grip.

"Harley," his voice was firm and his volume was low, but it was heard by the woman all the same. Harley smirked and pointed her small gun at him, making Kitsune's inner alarms go off at it. Kitsune's eyes widened beneath his goggles as the gun somehow managed to fire a large round from the small barrel.

"That's so...wrong," Kitsune mumbled under his breath after he dodged under the attempted shot. He leapt into a roll before skidding into a crouch, the kunai still held in the reverse grip being spun around as he prepared to throw it. He released his kunai and prayed he wouldn't hurt Harley too badly. His prayers were heard and he relaxed slightly when his kunai suddenly imbedded itself in Harley's left arm, making the demented woman scream in pain.

"OW! That hurt!" Harley whimpered as she fell to the ground and grabbed the kunai. Batgirl started cautiously walking towards the woman, when Kitsune suddenly cried out, "DON'T GO NEAR HER!"

Wondering why he wanted her to stop her approach, Batgirl looked from the cautious hero to a now standing Harley Quinn. The woman suddenly blurred out of the way and imbedded a fist into Batgirl's stomach. Barbara wondered how Harley got so fast when her attacker was sent soaring through the air into the adjacent wall, forming a web of cracks with her impact.

Barbara looked up into the concerned eyes of Kitsune as he helped her stand. His eyes went to lock on the groaning Harley Quinn and the goggled teen sighed before looking back at the blushing Batgirl.

"You ok, Barb?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, thanks Root..." Batgirl whispered back, groaning as she slowly stood upright. Kitsune nodded before he went to see how Harley was. He was unaware of the girl staring at his back longingly as he walked, nor was he aware of the girl watching his actions from a station far away frown as her boyfriend comforted a downed foe.

* * *

-Joker's Lair, 8:23 PM-

As far as Kitsune was concerned, he only had the attention of one lover. Not only was he unaware of the other two girls longing for his affection, but he was also unaware of the plotting psychotic cackling in his hideout.

"Hehehe, so fox-boy's got a thing for Batsy's little girl, eh?" Joker mused aloud with a snigger as he tightened the bolt on his latest contraption, "Well, then, perhaps I can let this soap opera go on just a bit longer before I crush him! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

* * *

-Watchtower, 8:24 PM-

The members of Young Justice returned with slight scrapes as Kitsune carried an unconscious Harley Quinn over his shoulder towards Batman. The Dark Knight arched a brow, seen by the widening of his white eyes, as Kitsune dropped Harley on her butt before him. The teen hero crossed his arms, smirking towards the cloned Kryptonian that was visibly unnerved at being outdone by a former thief.

"Not bad," Batman said, looking down at the unconscious clown before looking at the prideful goggled hero, "But why is she _here_?"

"So you can interrogate her, duh," Kitsune deadpanned before shaking his head, "Honestly, I thought you were the World's Best Detective or something. Get Joker's location. Call me when you do."

Batman blinked when Kitsune grabbed Supergirl's arm, sweeping her off her feet and carrying her bridal style to the teleport system. He nodded at J'onn, who nodded in return, before grinning at Superman.

"I'm gonna go wreck Kara's walking ability," he said, making the Flashes laugh at his crude humor. Superman shuddered from having a disturbing mental vision of Kara limping around the Watchtower with a glazed over look in her eye. The Man of Steel forced back the urge to vomit, and instead sighed as he walked towards his designated sleeping quarters.

* * *

-Kyle Residence, 8:45 PM-

"So how'd it go?" Selena asked as she casually sipped her tea. Naruto and Kara walked into the flat only a few minutes ago, the former being extremely tense before he collapsed face down on the couch. He growled at the approaching Fang, who sniffed the blonde before stalking away towards his second favorite napping spot.

Kara giggled as she pet Kage softly as the black fox kit lay on her lap. The young fox had taken quite the shine to her, nearly just as much as a shine to Naruto, and would often be found at either's side. Kara looked at Selena with a smirk after glancing at her tired boyfriend, "He's in. He just has to run a few missions with Robin's team."

"Oh god," Naruto moaned into the couch's cushion, sending the two girls into a fit of giggles. Sylvia purred from her spot atop Fang, the Sabertooth growling softly as it slept, and looked up at her master's son's distressing moan. The green eyed cat lied back down when she decided Naruto was fine, and closed her eyes before falling asleep once again.

"I'd pay to see that!" Selena giggled out before she paused and a smile came to her face. She looked at the paper placed on the table before her and examined the second story to earn her attention that evening. With a sly smile to her son's girlfriend, who was giggling at her boyfriend's now snoozing state, Selena said, "Kara...how do you feel about being present when Naruto has to work with the Boy Blunder's team for the first time?"

Kara blinked before tilting her head, "Do you have a plan?"

"Oh yes..." Selena purred out with a sly grin, "And it's too _purrfect_ to not work."

* * *

**AN: Geez, I wonder what Selena has in mind for our new hero? Review peeps! AJ is still on the way. Until next time with Episode 13: Testing.**


	13. Episode 13

**AN: Y'all are mean! Insulting me cuz I didn't know what's-his-face played the psychotic clown...You're lucky I got inspired by Arkham City (A badass game if I do say so myself) and I wanted to update this story! That and I'm Sexy and I know it! (Girl look at his body, girl look at that body, girl look at this body) Uh-huh, I work out! LMFAO...best group of 2011.**

**Question: Riddle me this: What likes to be petted, stands at attention, and tends to curl up in the cold?**

**Disclaimer: This is FFNN, Fan-Fiction News Network, with a breaking story. Bonesboy15 has unleashed the underworld's most wanted villain and is attacking the DC Tower for the rights to the DC universe as well as the Naruto one for some reason! More after the break, but first, Puppies, and can they kill your soul?**

**Episode 13: Testing**

* * *

_**~Three weeks after EP 12~**_

-Unknown Location; 5:15 PM, Tuesday-

"Ugh..." Kitsune groaned as he sat up. As soon as he did he reached for his head and hissed in pain as a headache throbbed intensely. After pushing the headache away, Kitsune blinked a few times before remembering what happened a week ago.

* * *

-Flashback: Last Week; Watchtower-

"Kitsune, you have a mission," Red Tornado said to the gathered Young Justice. Naruto, sitting down between Kid Flash and Aqualad, two of the teens that accepted him for who he was and now is, arched a brow and put his feet up on the table as well as interlocking his fingers behind his head.

"What's the deal, RT?" the relaxed newest member of the group asked. He didn't see the glare sent his way by Robin. The boy wonder was very unnerved and felt threatened by his frienemy's presence.

Red Tornado, barely acknowledging the nickname the new probationary League member gave him, picked up a remote control and dimmed the lights as well as activating a holographic screen centered in the circular table. The image of a school appeared and Naruto scowled instantly.

"We've discovered a relapsing villain," the commander of Young Justice said as he began briefing the team, "His name is Edward Nigma. He's also known as-"

"The Riddler." Naruto deadpanned, earning everyone's attention and many shocked looks as they saw a scowl on the blonde's face, "I hate this guy almost as much as I hate that fucking clown. To me, Nigma's living on borrowed time. What's he doing now and when do I leave?"

"We're not entirely sure, but we believe that Nigma is putting some of the students here at Blood Academy in danger with his tests. Your mission, Kitsune, is to get to the school he's at and stop him," Batman said as he appeared behind the team. Everyone, save Robin, Artemis, and Kitsune (who pulled his hood and modified goggles on as soon as he heard the Dark Knight's voice), jumped in their seats at their 'general's appearance. Kitsune kept a glare locked on the image of Riddler smirking at the camera.

"Apprehend him..._alive_," Batman said, getting a reluctant nod from the orange clad hero. The Caped Crusader studied the glaring form of Kitsune for a moment before he continued, "We're sending you because Riddler has been under the radar for almost a year. That and I need Young Justice to go investigate some strange activity out in the Midwest near an abandoned STAR LABS facility."

"Why is Kitsune going alone?" Robin asked with narrowed eyes behind his domino mask, "I could handle Riddler."

"This is his test," Batman said, getting everyone's attention once again before they looked at Kitsune. It had been a month since he was assigned to work with Young Justice and two weeks since he had gotten Harley to reveal one of Joker's hidden bases. The team investigating, including Kitsune and Supergirl, had been exposed to a modified gas form of Kryptonite. Kara was still in the infirmary, recovering from the inhaled gas that had weakened her profoundly, and Kitsune went ape-shit on Harley for her trick. The Clown Princess was now in the holding section of the Gotham City Hospital, her injuries nearly killing her.

"You understand the mission Kitsune?" Red Tornado asked, snapping the teen from his fantasies of ringing the redheaded Riddler by the throat. Kitsune blinked beneath his mask before smirking.

"You really have to ask?"

* * *

-Present-

Now, however, it was a week since he obtained his mission and he was sure that something had gone wrong, but what was it and when? The orange heroic-thief took a moment to assess his surroundings, noting the green question marks decorating the darkened and boarded up room he was in and he paled. He knew this trap, and he knew exactly who set it. A shiver went down his spine involuntarily.

"Nigma..." the teen whimpered out. His last encounter with the Riddler five months ago (just because he was off Batman's radar didn't mean he left Catwoman alone) had almost cost the blonde his life and sanity, and it was only through a week of therapy with Dr. Hugo Strange that Kitsune was back to normal.

"_Oh goodie! My favorite 'student' remembers me!_" a crazed voice said from a speaker hanging above the goggled teen. Kitsune swallowed and checked his weapon cache, sighing in relief when he found everything was still on his person. He arched a brow when he found a green Bluetooth headset strapped to his chest. Ripping the tape off and putting the headset on, Kitsune fought back the fear and hate that overcame him when Riddler spoke.

"_You've been a naughty boy, Kitsune. Killing poor Scarface's puppet, beating up the helpless Harley Quinn,_" the smug and teasing tone of the mastermind villain breaking down the new hero's resolve, "_And what's this about you joining the Justice Friends? Dear boy, you've strayed from what I've taught you. I'll just have to start from scratch._"

"You didn't...Nigma, how long have I been in here! What happened? Where am I you goddamn son of a bitch!" Kitsune shouted as he looked around, fear in his hidden eyes as he knew the Riddler liked putting innocents in danger against Batman, but now that Kitsune was on the roster...

"_Temper, temper, Little Fox,_" chided the insane genius, "_I'd be careful. A little jester told me about your girlfriend,_" Kitsune's mind flashed to a sleeping Kara back at the Watchtower and he paled, "_It'd be a shame if poor Batgirl had to die at my hands, now wouldn't it?_"

_He's got Barb!_ Kitsune realized with widened eyes behind his goggles before narrowing in confusion, _Wait a second, who told Nigma that Barb and I were going out? I thought she and that Speedy dude had a thing..._

"_Now, if you want the little redhead to return to you unharmed, first you have to find us in this school,_" Riddler said with a grin in his voice, "_Riddle me this, Kitsune, what time is it when the class is louder than the teacher and they don't get in trouble?_"

"Lunchtime," Kitsune answered in a heartbeat before rushing through the now unlocked door to his holding cell. Looking around, Naruto found himself in the hallways and looked around for signs of a map or guide. The headset in his ear beeped and the irritating and smug voice of Edward Nigma entered his head.

"_Oh, I almost forgot two things, how foolish of me. I've uploaded a map of the school to your fancy goggles, nice touch by the way, and you've got...about an hour, twenty-eight minutes, and fifty-four, fifty-three, fifty-two...You'd better hurry, Kitsune. Batgirl here is losing time._"

There was a rip and a yelp that made Kitsune freeze in mid-step before a familiar voice growled at Riddler, "_You're sick, Eddy! Let me go and give up and I _WON'T _beat you to a pulp!_"

"_Ooh, feisty, I wondered why it took so long for you to get a boy's attention, Batgirl._"

"You so much as touch a hair on her, Nigma and I can't promise you'll make it back to Arkham!" Kitsune snarled as he pressed a button on the side of his goggles. His vision turned red and a white beacon appeared in the upper right of his line of sight. He dashed towards the beacon as it grew and became clearer. Stepping into the Lunchroom, Kitsune stopped and looked at the first table in front of him, pressing a button on his goggles again.

"_Riddle me this: from worlds long lost and full of money, usually we go to this class to read from this,_" Riddler said into his ear. Kitsune grumbled and opened the map in his goggles and selected the history room. Following his guide there, Kitsune swore when he skidded before four open doors, all marked with a large green question mark.

"_Why, I'm insulted! You didn't think I'd make this easy on you, did you, _Kit_?_" Riddler asked with a laugh. The goggle-clad hero growled and ran to the first door on his left. The moment he ran in, the door shut and a cage dropped down. Kitsune gaped at the being glaring back at him and he thought, _What the fuck is _that_?_

"_Oh dear, I seem to have forgotten that for each incorrect choice you make, aside from losing time, you have to play with one of my Quizzers. Winner is the last man standing. Remember, tick-tock, tick-tock,_" the orange-red hero grimaced at the smug sounding psychopath.

"So...this is a Quizzer, huh?" Kitsune asked himself as the cage opened and a large man wearing a green shirt and black pants with question marks printed all over them. In his hand was a large mallet in the shape of, you guessed it, a question mark.

"Ok, Riddler's got some new friends...didn't take him to be a henchman using kind of guy," the teen commented as the nearly six and a half foot tall man walked over to him while smacking the mallet into his hand. Kitsune crouched back into fighting stance, preparing to flick out his two trench knives. The man scowled at him.

"Don't make fun of da boss," the man said, his eyes narrowing behind the green sock being used as a mask. Kitsune smirked back at him.

"So, yo momma is fair game?" the teen taunted, getting a roar of rage from the man as he charged at Kitsune. The young thief/hero-in-training brought his feet together and jumped over the monstrous man. He spun around in mid-air and flicked his knives out, slashing at the large man's back with his blades.

"Gah, you little bastard!" the man snarled as he reached at his cut back. He turned around to glare at the smirking teen. Kitsune spun his knives around and held them in a reverse fashion, slipping his fingers through the slots made specifically for them before slipping into a semi-boxing stance.

* * *

-Office of Selena Kyle, 5:20 PM-

Selena looked up at the sound of a knock on her open door and she blinked in surprise before her eyes narrowed, "What can I do for you, _Mr. Wayne_?"

Bruce winced at the way she said his name before walking in and shutting the office door behind him. He walked to his ex's desk and stood, his hands lacing behind his back, before speaking in his 'Batman' voice, "We need to talk."

"If it's about that stupid diamond theft last month in Turkey, I had nothing to do with it," Selena said with narrowed eyes, her hand inching towards her intercom as she watched a man that had hurt her.

"I know. This is about Naruto."

The last sentence made Selena stop in her reach and she set her pen still in her hand on the desk, being sure to keep her eyes on the Billionaire. With an obviously restrained worry in her voice, she asked, "What happened? Last I heard your_ Club_ had him off for a _restocking order_."

"Drop the code, Selena, this is serious," Bruce said with narrowed eyes as he watched the woman's face drop from restrained worry to full on worry, "Before you get mad, let me just say we didn't know his full history with the target."

This made Selena gape at the man. A few moments of pure silence passed before Bruce Wayne found himself pressed back against the wall by an angered and worried mother. Said mother had her hands tightly gripping his collar and was actually, amazingly in Bruce's opinion, lifting him a few centimeters off of the ground.

"Who did you send him against? Harvey? Marco? Croc? Grundy? Who was it!" Selena demanded. She was worried, and after what The Batman learned from looking through Naruto Kyle's medical files, she had a right to be.

It was with as much anger at himself and the person he was naming that Bruce answered her, "Edward Nigma."

The name made all the color from her face drop and she let go of Bruce with shaky hands. Watery blue eyes locked on saddened hazel ones and it was with all his trained restraint that kept Bruce from dropping to his hands and knees, begging for forgiveness.

"You...You sent him after Eddy? After fucking EDDY!" her sorrow and worry turned to pure rage and she clocked him across the jaw. Bruce was knocked down onto his back and he rubbed his bruised, possibly cracked, jaw before getting to his feet. Selena was glaring at him and continued shouting, "You sent my son, who was held captive by that fucking psychotic, after _him_! Do you know how that could affect his mentality! Do you know how long it took _Hugo_ to get Naruto back to being Naruto?"

"I said we didn't know, Selena!" Bruce shot back as he got to his feet, "I only found out after he failed to report three days ago. I sent someone to get him and she vanished too."

"Kara's missing now? I thought she was in the infirmary!" Selena snarled, extremely displeased with her ex.

"She's still there," Bruce calmly replied, fixing his suit and recomposing himself, "We sent Batgirl. In return, we got a riddle. It gives us the location of the school Riddler has occupied."

"Where is it?" Selena demanded. Bruce narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"You know I can't tell you," he replied with a bit of an apologetic tone that was hidden under a business-like one, "We'll get him, Selena. I thought it'd be best to tell you now since we're leaving in an hour."

"Wait a minute, how long has he been missing?" Selena asked, realizing that Bruce neglected to mention how long Naruto had been MIA against Riddler. Her fears grew when Bruce looked away from her eyes at the ground. She nearly killed him when he answered her.

"...a week..."

* * *

-With Kitsune-

"Gah, second door on the left, second door on the left! Oh god, just stop! STOP! STOP!" the Quizzer Kitsune had been fighting screamed as the teen bent the already broken arm at the shattered elbow further than it should have gone. The goggled teen smirked and released the arm, watching with slight amusement as the man cradled his arm and whimpered in pain as the teen stood. The man sent a weak, hate-filled glare at him and Kitsune scoffed.

"Oh grow a set, will you?" the teen sneered before curb stomping the man in the face and knocking him out, "Pussy. Can't take a fucking hit...Oi, Nigma! I know you were watching that! Don't touch Batgirl or I'm doing worse to you!"

* * *

-Riddler's location-

"Yeesh," Riddler winced as the camera zoomed in on his henchman, "And I wondered why Joker suggested I get muscle..."

"That clown put you up to this?" Batgirl asked with a glare locked on the green clad man. Edward Nigma scratched the back of his head under his green bowler hat with a question mark on it. Over his white dress shirt, Nigma's green jacket was buzzing with electronic neon lighting, all the lights in the shape of his infamous insignia, and his green pants were held up by a black belt with the symbol as the green, bedazzled buckle.

Riddler looked back at Batgirl with a smirk as he adjusted his light green square framed glasses before he spoke, "He didn't put me up to anything. The buffoon of a Clown just told me my 'student' had turned against us. Not that much of a shock really, especially if you take in who his mother is...But, I guess a shaved monkey such as yourself only sees my genius as insanity."

"Your genius _is_ insanity!" Barbara snapped. That earned her a backhand across the face. One that wasn't, fortunately for Nigma, overheard through the radio.

"You little bitch!" Riddler snarled to the downed girl, "Don't think of yourself as being higher than me! I am Edward Nigma, the Riddler! A man who has outsmarted that Bat Brain hundreds of times over!"

"And yet you still get caught!" Batgirl shot back as she glared up at the man, "You still end up at Arkham, and it usually takes the chaos of Joker or Two-Face's escape for you to leave!"

"You stupid insignificant bitch!" the villain cried back as he kicked the girl in the stomach, "You think I take offence to that? That only means you only notice my escape months after catching one of those idiots!"

"_Oi! I found the goddamn book!_" Kitsune's irritated voice broke through their argument. Edward fixed his jacket and recomposed himself before smirking down at the girl glaring at him.

"I will say this, Bitch-girl," he said smugly as he walked back to his seat, "Your little _boyfriend_ is quite admirable for his stupidity–oh, I mean _courage_."

* * *

-With Kitsune-

_I fucking hate Edward Nigma..._Kitsune thought with a growl as he flipped through the _Economies of the Ancient Worlds_ book he found in the room he was directed to. He stopped when a flash of neon green crossed his vision and looked at a page where Leonardo Di Vinci had been covered by a large question mark. The teen felt his teeth grit in annoyance, and resisted the urge to scream in frustration.

"_Riddle me this; if an artist such as this man here was so smart, what is the thing we usually think of as his greatest (blank)?_" Kitsune threw the book aside and pressed on the button on his goggles. He growled in anger when he began looking through the map and thought, _When I find Nigma I'm gonna cut his dick off and shove it down his windpipe! At least then I'll get some goddamn quiet!_

Dashing to the door, the teen was caught off-guard when it suddenly locked shut. Gripping the handle and jiggling it, going nowhere fast, Kitsune snarled and slammed his shoulder into the door, "What the fuck! Come on! I got the clue!"

"_Ah, but you cheated. I never said you could interrogate my Quizzers, now did I?_"

"You never said I couldn't you smug son of a bitch! Now stop smoking your crack and open the fucking door!" Kitsune snarled as he rammed his shoulder into the wooden door as Riddler merely 'hmm'ed at his point.

"_Well, for that language I have no other option but to give you detention._"

"GAAAH!" Kitsune cried out as the floor suddenly opened up beneath him. Before he could fall down the hole, he latched onto the wall with chakra and swore, "You motherfucking dumbass!"

"_Ha! I'm not the one walking on the wall while my girlfriend's life hangs in the balance..._"

"I'm going to fucking kill you."

* * *

-Watchtower, 6:45 PM-

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU _LOST_ HIM?" Kara roared as Wonder Woman and Superman held the Girl of Steel back from beating the Dark Knight to a pulp. Batman stared impassively as the rapidly recovering Kryptonian teen struggled against the superior strength of the two Heroes. He wondered if he should have allowed Catwoman to come with him to keep Kara calm. He noted over the past few days Kara had been chatting via Skype with the Cat Burglar and that both of them seemed to have a mother-daughter bond, bordering on sisterhood.

The thought of both of them ganging up on him and trying to beat him up (he is Batman after all) made him discard that idea immediately.

"Settle down, Supergirl," Batman said as the girl seemed to tire, "Kitsune is still alive, as is Batgirl, and Riddler gave us the location of his hideout...first we have to decode his riddle though."

From his place leaning against the wall and looking over the riddle in question, Flash read, "'Riddle me this, Bat-Brain: The Fox and the Bat together are cunning, but it is at this school where they are most hated'? Anyone got an idea what that freak means?"

"We know he's at an old school," Black Canary confirmed when she suddenly snapped her fingers, "But the whole hating of Foxes and Bats...maybe he means a Fox Hunt and Baseball!"

"I know what school that is, it's any Ivy League," The Question said as he nodded in agreement, "But how did he make it seem like he was still in the smaller schools? How did he move Kitsune and Batgirl without giving away his location? This smells like a big trap."

"Unless he's trying to divert us into thinking he's actually in that school," Batman mused before crossing his arms in thought, "Riddler knows we won't waste any time and try to figure out the riddle as fast as we can. Maybe it's just a diversion..."

"What, the riddle?" Flash asked as he scratched his head, "Wouldn't that be redundant then?"

"I agree with Flash," Black Canary said with a nod, "Riddler's M.O. says he usually wants us to follow the riddle."

"We need to think about this before we do anything," Question said, getting a negative shake of the head from Batman, "Oh, then what do you think?"

"I told Catwoman what happened," he replied, getting looks of disbelief from the gathered few (except Supergirl, who seemed much more accepting of that), "Knowing Selena like I do, she probably has a back-up plan incase Kitsune went missing and had no way of getting out aside from a rescue."

"Why do you think Catwoman would do that?" Flash asked with an arched brow before getting blankly stared at by Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and Black Canary. With confusion on his face and in his voice, he asked, "What'd I say?"

"Your stupidity amazes me sometimes," Question said, shaking his head and ignoring the glare he was getting from the Fastest Man Alive. Facing the red hero, Question spoke with a deadpan tone, "Cat_woman_ sees Kitsune as her son. Any mother will make sure to keep their children safe. Do the math."

"H-Hey! Excuse me if I didn't get that as soon as you did!" Flash shot back as soon as he understood what he missed, "This is Catwoman we're talking about."

"Exactly," Batman said, getting everyone's attention, "Which is why I told her we were leaving in an hour to the location and refused to give her the riddle."

"Smart man," The Question said with a nod. The others, sans Flash, also nodded in agreement. The red clad hero simply shook his head and tossed the riddle over his shoulder.

"I'm lost more than I usually am, so I'm backing out now," he said as he left the room, "The fact I'm being made fun of is not a factor..."

"Sure, whatever you say," The Question shot back, earning a frustrated growl from his friend. The detective looked back at the Caped Crusader and arched a brow, "When did she go?"

"The minute I left her office."

* * *

-Outside Abandoned Academy in New York, 6:56 PM-

"Hm, Naruto's signal is strong here," Catwoman said as she looked at the left side of the school from the back before she looked down at her companion, "Well, Fang, let's go save him."

The large Sabertooth merely made a rumble in his chest that she took as an agreement to her statement. The two ran to the doors and Catwoman slipped back as the large cat charged the double doors and burst through them, breaking the chain locking them together. With a smile on her face, the leather wearing thief sauntered over to the large cat and scratched him behind the ears.

"Good boy, Fang," she praised as the large ancient cat released a deep purr before the hallway filled with a loud blaring fire alarm and green lights flashed. From the rooms came out several thugs dressed in green outfits with black question marks on them. Catwoman sighed and grabbed behind her hip, pulling her whip out and unrolling it with a flick of her wrist, cracking it loudly. The thugs all jumped at the sound and it was all Fang needed to leap at the nearest man, driving his jaws into the man's flesh.

"Come on boys," Catwoman purred as some thugs approached her cautiously, "Show me what'cha got."

* * *

**AN: Thank you, Thank you...The king of Cliff hangers has struck again. No thanks necessary...Well, you could review if ya want...Think about it. Tune in next time for Episode 14: Acing the Test.**

**REVIEW BEE-YOTCHES!**


	14. Episode 14

**AN: Well...a few of you seemed to have answered my riddle quite well...Kudos. Now, for the epic conclusion...or is it? Oh, before I forget: ONE THOUSAND REVIEWS! BOO-TO-THA-FUCKING-YAH! Thank you all so fucking much, you fucking blonde-fuck-lovers! *gets ass kicked by a pissed off redheaded flute player due to overuse of her signature profanity*...So, **_**fucking**_** worth it!**

**Question: Why did the Kitsune come home with a black smudge on his face?**

**Disclaimer: This just in, it appears that the owners of DC have managed to take out Bonesboy15's accomplice, which is now known to be Solomon Grundy. The poor man responsible for Naruto's existence is currently being held hostage by the crazed writer, who for some reason is using a pen (?) as a weapon, and is trying to talk Bonesboy15 into giving himself up to the Copyright Police Force. More after this, but first, can shaking your booty give you immortality?**

* * *

**Episode 14: Acing the Test**

-With Catwoman, 6:57 PM-

"Get 'er!" a thug cried before they all charged at the cat burglar extraordinaire. Catwoman smirked and ducked under a right hook before punching a man in the gut. Ducking another attempt to strike her, she then wrapped her whip around the neck of one of the henchmen. Pulling him towards her, Catwoman then ducked under the flying body, allowing it to collide with two other henchmen and knocking the three of them unconscious.

Fang ripped a chunk of flesh off his prey and spat it out. Having been domesticated, he lost the desire to eat raw meat from living beings, but he hadn't lost the instinct on how to kill. To the dismay of the few henchmen staring in fear at the giant cat, he also hadn't lost the love for a fight.

"...Wha-What the fuck-?" was all one henchman managed to get out before Fang leapt at him with a roar, driving the man to the ground with his impressive two-hundred fifty pounds of muscle. The Smilodon bit onto the neck of the man and chomped down, snapping the neck and ending his presence on this plane. The cat looked at his next prey, almost tauntingly, as if he were to say; "Who's next?"

"This just won't do," Catwoman purred in mock disappointment as she caught an attempt to blindside her with a lariat in her arms before lifting her leg back into the groin of her attacker, "Poor Fang over there is making a mess all over his nice fur coat. Fangy, do momma a favor and don't kill them all, Ok?"

"That thing is yours-oof!" a thug managed to ask before being kicked in the face by the experienced woman. The black leather wearing thief smirked and rolled her whip up before snapping it out again and spinning it around over her head, smacking across the face of four men trying to gang up on her. The men spun around and, while dazed, threw their already prepared punches at their nearby comrades. Catwoman smirked and caught a man's kick in her left arm, reaching her right arm back to grab his head and she leaned in for a kiss, just before she flipped him over her shoulder into the man that was facing her.

"Th-This is suicide! I ain't dyin' fo' the _Riddler_!" a man cried as he ran out the back door, fleeing Fang's presence as the giant cat pounced on another victim trying to sneak up on his mistress. Catwoman smirked and backhanded the last thug nearing her, dazing him before she began brutally assaulting him, slashing him across the face, chest, and shoulders with her strikes. With a pleased meow escaping her lips, Catwoman stretched and looked over at her pet.

"Nicely done, Fangy," the woman said, patting the cat on the head as he approached. She dug around in her back pocket before pulling out her PDA and looking at the screen. A blinking flash alerted her to Naruto's location and she furrowed her brows when she saw that the light was moving away from her, in fact, it seemed to fade.

_What are you doing, Naruto?_ Selena thought as she and Fang raced to his location.

* * *

-With Naruto, 7:23 PM-

"I hate you, Nigma..." Kitsune snarled as he carefully crawled down the side of the tunnel he was dropped in, "Sending me to the damn sewers...The only good thing that came from this is your signal is weak so you can't fucking hear me. Bad news is, I can't hear you...Or Barb..."

His last clue was obviously the Art class, but because of his 'Detention', Kitsune couldn't leave the room he was in. And with only, the teen looked at his HUD that his pal Gizmo so kindly installed into his goggles, forty-seven minutes to go, he had to locate Nigma and fast. Screw the Riddler's game, he had a friend to save.

_And fuck Batman's little 'test',_ He thought angrily as he recalled the man's words earlier, _Nigma's gonna die _tonight_! I only signed up to keep Kara off my back about us not moving in together...Shit, I ain't losing Barbara over that damn BS Hero Rule._

_**About time you smarted up, Kit,**_ A familiar voice echoed in his mind. Kitsune blinked and looked around, frowning when he couldn't see Kyuubi. The demon lord chuckled and a smirk was heard as he spoke, _**This Riddler, as you called him, is an insult to tricksters and intellectual beings such as myself. Not only that, but he has endangered a prime mate-material. If you do not take action, **_**I**_** will. My suggestion; show him why you're 'The Unpredictable One'.**_

A memory came to the forefront of Kitsune's mind of a group of men chasing him as he laughed and ran, two buckets of paint in both hands. Shaking the thought from his mind, Kitsune looked up and nodded silently in agreement. He frowned though when a troubling thought came to mind, _I don't know where he is though..._

_**Fool...Send chakra to your nose and focus on your ma-erm, **_**friend's**_** scent!**_

Kitsune blinked before resisting the urge to slam his face into the wall and growled, "Why didn't I think of that?"

_**Because, Kit, you never were the brightest bulb in the box...**_

Kitsune scowled at the fox's words and closed his eyes before humming to himself in an effort to calm down. He hated when that..._thing_ brought up his 'past life'. The only good that came from it was a hell of a lot of therapy, and a person can only handle Hugo Strange's monotone voice for so long.

Shrugging the anger away, Kitsune focused on the task at hand: Rescuing Barbara Gordon.

* * *

-With Batgirl, 7:30 PM-

"Forty minutes left to go, what happens next, only I shall know!" Riddler cackled out as he spun his cane before turning back to his screen, "And now that that's...Hm, what's this?"

Barbara looked up from her spot on the ground at the large screen before the insane genius. On it was none other than Catwoman and the large Smilodon that she and Artemis had met that day not too long ago. The redheaded heroine felt an even brighter glimmer of hope now that one of her 'friends' has shown up. Batman had to have some sort of tracer on Catwoman, seeing as Nigma disabled her belt's tracking beacon, and he must not have rushed here to first calm down the others and her father–

_Oh crap, I totally forgot about Dad!_ The girl wonder realized as her eyes widened. A groan of anguish escaped her throat as she thought, _I'm so dead after this...Root, I hope you hurry...I might need a place to crash in order to hide from Dad..._

Riddler, who had heard her anguished groan and mistook it for one of defeat, turned and faced the girl with a smirk, "Ah-ha! So you finally acknowledge that I'm the smartest there is, and that no one, not even the Caped Poo-Saver could dare to defeat my masterful mind?"

"I can't believe you're still on about that," Batgirl said with rolling eyes, "You do know that if, no wait, _when_ Root gets here, he's going to kick your ass, right?"

Nigma scowled and adjusted his glasses with his two fingers, "We'll see about that you stubborn little bitch."

"Call me a bitch again, I dare you," Batgirl growled at the green clad villain. Riddler laughed after a moment of silence, before smirking down at her. Walking over to her place on the ground, the Einstein of Enigmas crouched down to smirk in her face.

"Riddle me this, Batgirl," Riddler started, "What are you when you're thrown in a padded cell with nothing more than a straitjacket to keep you company along with the others in your head?"

"An IQ of over 300, but the sanity of a mass murderer?" Batgirl asked with a snarl, "Aka, you?"

"Cute." Deadpanned Riddler with a scowl before he smirked, "But wrong. You're _delusional_. Sorry, thanks for playing!"

"You're going back to your cell after this, Nigma!" Batgirl growled. Riddler merely shrugged and smirked even wider. As he walked away, the green questioner looked over his shoulder and smugly said one word.

"Doubtful."

* * *

-With Kitsune, 7:33 PM-

Kitsune sniffed the air again before grunting as he trudged through the grime and sludge that coated the pipelines veined throughout the school's walls. The outfit that Victor Fries had made did wonders to protect the covered skin from the nasty waters that he crawled through. Using his forearms in a military-like crawl to pull him along while he pushed through with the sides of his knees to grant him a slight boost against the small current, the orange-red hero asked whatever deity that watched over him to never make him go through this again. His request was either unheard or ignored, he would later discover.

"God, what the fuck was Nigma thinking using an abandoned school?" Kitsune asked no one in particular as he fought back his rising stomach contents, "This is fucking nasty!"

_**Oh, please...when you get out, use your control over the wind to dry yourself and blow the stench away!**_ Kyuubi growled in the back of his mind before going silent once again.

_Geez, why's he so interested in my life all of a sudden?_ The teen asked himself with a bit of annoyance. Pushing that thought aside, Kitsune sniffed the air, ignoring the foul scents entering his nostrils, and focused on the strawberry-like aroma that he often associated with Barbara Gordon and Batgirl.

"Left," Kitsune stated aloud, before looking left and finding...A grated pipe. The hooded teen scowled before grabbing the metallic cylinders that blocked his path to his friend. Concentrating and channeling the energy that was becoming more and more natural to him, Kitsune gritted his teeth as he began pulling on the grate's pipes. Growling, Kitsune ripped the grate from the pipe, grunting in pain when his arms smacked against the walls.

"Why couldn't the damn sewers connect to the air conditioners?" the teen asked as he shoved the grate out of his way and began crawling towards his friend, "I mean seriously! I know movies do this all the time, but come on! Air conditioners are definitely ten-times cleaner! Oh, answered my own question..."

Chuckling, having lifted his own spirits, as he crawled, Kitsune found a new determination to get to Barbara. As he glanced at the time limit in his HUD, the orange-red clad hero swore under his breath. Thirty-minutes, that's all he has left to get to Nigma.

Now crawling as fast as he could in the restraining area, Kitsune began fantasizing over how he would beat Edward Nigma to death with his (Nigma's) cane. A smile crossed the teen's face, one showing his excitement at the prospect of getting vengeance on the wrongs that the Riddler had done to him. The smile suddenly dropped to a frown as a new thought crossed over his mind.

_What's Bats doing about our situation?_

* * *

-Watchtower, 7:35 PM-

"'The signal's jammed,'" Batman repeated with disbelief as he looked at J'onn, "How is that possible? I put Wayne Industries newest and most advanced tracking device on Catwoman."

"I do not know how the signal is being jammed," the Martian replied as he looked back at his computer, "But it is the same way with the devices we have installed in Kitsune's and Batgirl's communication devices."

Batman released a grunt of displeasure, looking back at the computer that was supposed to be able to pick up signals no matter what the disturbance was. That meant whatever Nigma was using was either more advanced than the Watchtower's computer, which was extremely doubtful, _or_ someone else was interfering on the Riddler's behalf.

_But who? Who?_ Thought the caped crusader. He brooded on this before a thought came to his mind that alarmed him, _I don't know anything about Kitsune. How would I begin to know his enemies when I don't know him?_

Batman's head snapped up as a realization hit him. Catwoman may not have been too keen on working with others, but last month, she visited an old colleague of hers. Abruptly turning around and heading towards the transporter, Batman pressed the side of his cowl to activate his radio and contacted the team heading towards Selena Kyle's last known location. The team consisted of Superman, Black Canary, and The Question. Canary and Question were riding one of the League's many Wayne Enterprise's motorcycles while the man of steel was using his usual mode of transportation.

"Clark," he said to the team leader, "I've got a problem. The beacon's dead up here. How's your tracer?"

"_Everything's working fine here, Bruce,_" Superman replied, making the caped crusader nod to no one in particular, "_Why don't you have a signal?_"

"That's what I'm going to find out," Batman said before killing the radio and resuming his journey to Star LABS Greenhouse number 8. Residence of one Pamela Isley, aka Poison Ivy.

* * *

-With Kitsune, 7:50 PM-

_Fifteen minutes,_ Kitsune thought as he pulled himself up a vertical pipe, his biceps aching from the ten minute climb. Already he was forty feet up and nearing a bathroom, based on the smell of rotting tile entering his nostrils, but his goal was the scent only twenty feet from his position. How did he know he was twenty feet away?

Kyuubi.

"Ahh, shit," Kitsune hissed as he tried to push his way through the grate opening into the bathroom he was in, "I've got no room! Any suggestions?"

_**Yeah, pray for a miracle,**_ Kyuubi's voice echoed in his head before the entity silenced once again. Kitsune scowled at the words and slid down the large pipe he was in before stopping a few feet away from the grate.

_Miracles are for pussies!_ The thief thought with a growl as he held his hands up and used his control over the wind to slice the grate apart. He then ducked his head as the pieces dropped, a few pelting his back.

"Ah, damn..." Kitsune hissed in pain before he resumed climbing, a bit more anger leaking into his current emotions, "That motherfucker's blood is going to paint the walls!"

The hooded teen hero pulled himself out of the pipe, coughing as he breathed in fresh air as opposed to the shit-smelling sewers he had been in moments ago. He fell onto his back as the extra energy boost he gave himself began wearing off. He could only last for so long on that energy, his record being maybe eight minutes, and that was when he was against the Ventriloquist.

Kitsune panted heavily before he took another whiff of the air and he opened his eyes, "Barb..."

She was close, he could smell her. The teen forced his stressed body to move, despite each and every one of his muscles, nerves, and bones to tell him to stay put. Kitsune grit his teeth and used a bathroom stall to straighten himself on his feet while he gathered more chakra to send throughout his body.

"Almost there...hang in there, Barb," the boy said to no one in particular. He growled quietly as he went to the door and kicked it open, his eyes wide at what he saw.

Rather than a hallway, he was standing merely feet above an acid pool that filled an entire gymnasium. It was foul smelling and the color was an unsightly green, one that was traditionally seen in horror films or comic books, the thief subconsciously noted. Kitsune gaped at the sheer amount of acid when he suddenly heard a cry of, "Root!"

The teen looked up and there on a single metal platform hanging by a few strands of steel only ten feet above the large pool was Batgirl herself. Relieved she was still alive; Kitsune then did a limited assessment of how injured she was. The teen growled in anger when he saw a bruise on her face and the smell of blood floated into his nose. Kitsune backed up in an attempt to leap for her when an electric shield came over the doorway.

"_Ah-Ah-Ah! Enn! Sorry, play again!_" Riddler taunted from a hidden observation room, "_Kit, Kit, Kit...I thought I learned you better than that, boy!_"

"Oh you _learned_ me, alright Nigma," Kitsune snarled as he clenched his fists and wind began to pick up around him, "Ya learned me that no-body deserves an ass-whooping more than you!"

"_Ha! That's so cute!_" Riddler taunted, "_Wittwe Kit wants to pway with da growned ups! Where's a camera? I've got to capture this moment...The wannabe Batman! I sense a YouTube star in the making!_"

"I'm going to KILL YOU!" Kitsune roared as he ran at the electric gate, punching through it with the wind enclosed around his fist. No one saw his eyes turn a hue darker in color.

* * *

From his observation room, Riddler jumped back from the sheer intensity of the teen's exclamation and attack. His monitoring system, which was recording data for the Joker due to the deal they had made, suddenly exploded when a whip shot past his shoulder and hit the screen. The green clad villain swiveled around and paled at the sight before him.

"Hello Eddie...I believed we talked over your 'testing' with Strange," Catwoman growled as she wound her whip up, "But seeing as you want to keep testing my son, I've got a small test of my own. Riddle me this: What cat can beat a Riddler?"

"Well that's obvious," Riddler sneered with a smirk as he pulled his cane out and extended it before twirling it in preparation for a fight, "A Cheetah."

"Cute," Selena purred before scowling, "But wrong. Eddie, meet Fang. Fang, meet dinner."

"Fang?" Nigma repeated before jumping to the side when the Sabertooth attempted to bite his head off in one chomp, "Whoa! This is what I call a prime example of 'When Animals Attack!'"

* * *

Kitsune's hands clamped onto the edge of the dangling platform that Batgirl was on, causing the entire platform to jostle and for the heroine to fall to her side, still bound to her chair. Kitsune grunted when his irritated muscles reminded him of their shitty feeling, nearly slipping from his grip. After managing to get his right arm on the steel platform, Kitsune swung his body to the right in an effort to hook his leg up as well.

Just as he did so, one of the steel cables holding the platform snapped, causing him to lose his grip with his right body while his left hand clung to the edge of the platform. Barbara Gordon was slowly sliding down to the free corner, which caused a worried cry to escape her lips, "Uh, Root? If you don't mind hurrying up and rescuing me!"

"Working on it, Barb!" Kitsune called back as he spun around on his arm, groaning in pain, "Not exactly feeling the fun here, either."

Kitsune sucked in a gulp of air before swinging up on his arm, consequently ripping his shoulder's muscle from its place. The teen released an agonizing cry as he landed on the platform, grabbing his left shoulder and attempting to soothe the pain by pressing down on the muscle. This only had the opposite effect and caused him even more pain.

"FUCKING A!" Kitsune exclaimed as he rolled near the edge, "That fucking hurt! Shit, shit, shit! OW!"

"Cry about it later!" Barbara exclaimed, getting the pained teen's attention, as she was nearing the lowered edge of the platform and was still bound in her restraints, "Save the damsel now!"

"Yeah, right...Gah, fuck me," Kitsune hissed in pain as he let his arm hang loosely at his left while his right arm reached down and grabbed the seat of her chair, just between her legs.

"I just might if we make it out of here alive!" Barbara muttered as the teen thief pulled back on her chair, slowly pulling her away from the platform's edge. Kitsune pulled the chair to the higher opposite corner and flipped over her, grunting in pain as he used his right arm for all of his weight while keeping his left arm close to his side. The teen then flicked a kunai out and jammed it in the chains that bound her still.

"Don't move," he warned, getting a nod of understanding. Kitsune twisted the kunai quickly and to her surprise and his relief, the chain link snapped effortlessly. Helping Batgirl unbind herself with one arm, Kitsune then realized something, "Shit...We're so fucked..."

"Why do you say that?" Batgirl asked curiously as she used the steel cable holding the high corner up to get to her feet. Kitsune gestured to her waist.

"You're utility belt-less," he stated before gesturing to his arm, "And I throw better with my left arm than my right."

"Well, so? I can still throw," Batgirl said.

"Yeah, well, bad news is, that jostle also emptied most of my pockets," Kitsune growled to himself, "Not to mention fucking up my arm..."

"We could always climb?" the Girl Wonder suggested, earning an irritated look from her 'savior', "Well we could...We'd just have to...um..."

"Straddle climb..." Kitsune finished with a groan, "God if Kara finds out about this, I'm dead..."

"W-We don't have to-What are you doing?" Batgirl exclaimed with shock as the hooded hero pushed her up, a tear welling in his eye from using his left arm.

"Getting you up so we can save ourselves," Kitsune shot back, "let's just get it over with and never speak of it again, ok?"

"Yeah, fine...living is a definite positive outcome," Batgirl admitted, reaching up to grab the steel cable and begin climbing. Kitsune followed her, and when they made it to the joint where the platform's three corners were connected, Kitsune wrapped his legs around the cable and put one hand around the cable above their heads.

"Let's just get out of here," he said with pain echoing in his voice. Barbara nodded before jumping up and grabbing an even higher portion of the cable before hesitantly wrapping her legs around her waist. Had the cable not been present, Batgirl and Kitsune's more sensitive areas would have been pressed together and the two teens may have acted on whatever hormones were coursing through their body.

"This may be the wrong time," Kitsune said as they climbed, "But your legs are, uh, very nice."

"Smooth, Root, you're one hell of a flirt."

"Hey, a guy's gotta make a name for himself, right?"

"Funny."

They pulled themselves to the top of the cable, both panting and their bodies coated in a light sheen of sweat due to the heat of the acid. Kitsune's body suddenly stiffened and he grunted as his healing factor kicked in. The teen grabbed his shoulder and cried out in anguish as the nerves and muscles began painfully reattaching themselves.

"MOTHER FUCKER!" The teen exclaimed as he rolled onto his uninjured side. Batgirl watched worriedly, wondering if there was anything she could do when they both turned at the sound of footsteps. Batgirl paled while Kitsune's face shifted into a fang-baring snarl as standing before them was none other than Edward Nigma.

And then Selena pushed his body through the hole, down towards the green acidic liquid below. He slammed into the acid, his unconsciousness ending as he slowly melted, the skin peeling away to reveal a blue-ish color before the body sank into the acid. A pained cry sounding like an unearthly force echoed into the three remaining sets of human ears, plus Fang's one set, just before the head was completely engulfed by the acid. Kitsune pulled his hood down and glared at a slightly banged up Selena.

"I had dibs," he growled.

"It wasn't him," Selena replied with a frown, "It was one of the Toymaker's Doll-Clones. Riddler was remote controlling him."

"Motherfucker...Gah!" Naruto fell to his knees as he grabbed his shoulder, "Get me...the fuck...out of here!"

"Right!" Selena said as she helped Barbara get him to his feet. The infamous Catwoman couldn't help but speak again, "Told ya that the Justice Friends was a bad idea."

"No shit."

* * *

**AN: Oh god, that took forever...anti-climactic wasn't it? I can't kill Riddler off...YET. But what does that last statement mean? Is Naruto done with the League after this? Is Batgirl going to admit her feelings? How should I know? I've got Christmas gifts to wrap!  
Next time, Episode 15: War Within.**

**REVIEW!**


	15. Episode 15

**Disclaimer: This just in; Bonesboy15 has released his hostages, a chairman at the DC Comics company and the creator of the Japanese Manga Naruto, and is coming down with his hands-OH DEAR GOD! Breaking news ladies and gentlemen, Bonesboy15 has performed what appears to be a 'Rasengan' on the officer that attempted to apprehend him. He's now pulled several smoke bombs out...And he's gone...Will the cops find him? We'll be back with answers right after this, but first: Have you recently eaten taffy, because studies show it is the cure for death!**

**Episode 15: War Within**

* * *

-Watchtower, Monday, 2:31 PM-

"Get your damn wet hands off of me," growled Kitsune to Aqualad as he attempted to halt their advance towards the League's current meeting, "I've got a few bones to pick with Bat-face and Super-tights."

"No," replied the Atlantean teen sternly, "Batman has requested the First Seven regroup be left undisturbed."

Kitsune glanced around at the rest of Young Justice. Robin, Superboy, Speedy, and Aqualad looked ready to take him down. Artemis looked hesitant, but still had her bow drawn, and the Martian Girl...

Actually, he hadn't seen Megan.

"You think you can all stop me?" he asked quietly, "I've kicked your asses twice already; some of you more than I can count."

"Give me an excuse and I'll punch him out the window," growled out Superboy. The leader of YJ snapped his attention at Superboy.

"Superboy, we aren't going to fight over this!" he ordered before looking back at Kitsune, "This isn't a team if we end up fighting all the time."

"Huh, imagine that, I ain't part of your fucking team," Kitsune growled as he roughly gripped the opposing hand on his shoulder by the wrist tightly, "Now I'll ask again, and you'd best think about this before answering, are you going to stand aside, or against me when I go in there?"

"You know our answer," Aqualad replied with a frown, "We're not going to let you go in there."

"I never said anything about asking to get in," the thief retorted as his scowl turned into a smirk. Aqualad's eyes widened as Kitsune suddenly drove the shoulder the teen Atlantean was grabbing into his gut and his feet left contact with the ground. He felt an enormous amount of pain in his back and heard a groan from the metallic floor he landed on.

Kitsune, meanwhile, ducked immediately as Superboy threw a right hook. The hooded teen growled lowly and swept the clone's feet out from under him with a low kick. Faster than they thought possible, the Young Justice was horrified when a green dagger was pressed against Superboy's neck.

"AGH!" the young Kryptonian exclaimed when the emerald shaded weapon made contact with his skin.

Kitsune looked the others over, feeling a bit uneasy by doing this, but hardened his features, "It's a Kryptonian Dagger, and particles of the mineral are infused with it, courtesy of a certain eco-terrorist."

"Wait, don't...Don't hurt him," Aqualad relented, "Go in...Just...Just go in."

Kitsune sighed and snapped a finger, as a robotic voice echoed around them, "_Simulation terminated. Simulation terminated._"

The teens frowned when their foe reformed himself into that of J'onn. He tossed the dagger away and pulled Superboy to his feet.

"That was pitiful," an amused voice chuckled out from behind them. The group turned to look at the real Naruto, who was smacking on an apple from his spot seated on a generator. The thief ignored the glares and focused on J'onn, "Do I look like Batman, to you? And Auntie Pam doesn't have access to Kryptonite. That was horrible. D-Minus!"

J'onn sighed, "It wasn't supposed to be a good impression, Kitsune..."

The teen snorted as he bit into his apple, "No shit, Sherlock..."

"Why are we fighting you anyway?" Superboy asked J'onn, "I mean, you're only morphing yourself into him, why don't we fight the real Kitsune."

"Because Kara will snap me in two if I try to fight any of you right now," grumbled the unmasked blonde as he rolled his shoulder. Kid Flash made the sound of a whip and Robin released a small laugh. Naruto took another bite of his apple.

"Least I'm getting some," he muttered, making the two stop snickering, before he tossed the apple at a bin, tossing it away. The blonde jumped to his feet, grabbing his arm shortly afterwards, before walking to the clone, "Anyway, Mini-Man, the reason J'onn's turning into me is because I'm not staying in this business."

"WHAT?" was the collective cry, before they fell into defensive stances. Naruto laughed as he turned around and walked away.

"Just thought a heads-up would be nicer than a boot to the head when you run into me when I'm on a heist," he commented as he waved lazily, "Bats already took me off your roster. He gets it. So long, _Young Justice_. Have fun following the Friends' rules..."

That said and done, the blonde vanished in a flash of red light.

* * *

-Kyle Penthouse, 2:38 PM-

A red flash later and Naruto found himself in the bathroom of his mother's penthouse. Immediately, he fell to his knees and ralphed up the apple he barely began to digest. Damn he hated that new teleportation technique Kyuubi taught him.

"Naruto?" Selena called curiously as Naruto flushed the toilet. He pushed himself to his feet, wiping his mouth off with the back of his hand.

"I'm back," the blonde grumbled as he stumbled out of the room, a happy yipping starting as Kage ran into the room. Naruto smiled and knelt down to catch the happy kit in his arms. Stroking the fox behind an ear, the blonde went to the couch and sat on it.

"Finally cut off?" Selena asked nonchalantly as she scratched Fang's head. She was seated on the loveseat with the large Smilodon's head resting on her lap. Kara was asleep in Naruto's room, Sylvia in there with her. She also left the League, much to the Man of Steel's ire. She'd hung her Supergirl costume up, and took on the title Firebird.

Selena was teaching her how to get by without powers, making her restrain herself from flight, super-strength, and any other Kryptonian ability. Naruto didn't like it. Kyuubi said it was because his instincts called for a strong mate. The blonde disagreed. He wanted her to be safe.

Kyuubi laughed, claiming it was the same thing.

The boy relaxed into the couch and looked over at Selena, "So...Any leads on where Nigma, the Clown, and Dollhead are?"

"Croc has a few guesses," Selena mused as she typed on her Mac notebook for an upcoming report to a magazine, "We should lay low, though...With you and Kara fresh out of the Friend's grip, they'll be keeping an eye out."

"True...How's Bruce feel about it?" Naruto asked, knowing that Batman and Catwoman's alter egos were meeting regularly. Selena's face hardened.

"_Mr. Wayne_ and I are in the midst of an argument right now," the black haired woman grumbled as Fang lowly growled, "Sorry Fangy."

Naruto winced at that and scratched the back of his head, "Ya know, I may sound like an idiot for this, but he didn't know Eddie and I...had a history."

"I never wanted you siding with the Bat in the first place," replied Selena with a glower, before she softened her gaze, "Although...you did get me a nice daughter-in-law out of it."

"Oh for the love of-" "I don't recall receiving a ring..." Kara interrupted Naruto's groan as she walked out in her maroon Firebird outfit. The goggles once worn by a young Kitsune were dangling from her neck, the orange gleam of the glasses reflecting onto the silky black fur of the cat resting on her shoulders. The girl leant forward and kissed the top of her beau's head before floating up and landing next to him, Sylvia hopping from her shoulders to that of her longtime master's.

"Hey kitty-cat!" Naruto cheerfully greeted the pet with a quick scratch behind the ear, "How've ya been Syl?"

What he got in response was a simple meow. He chuckled before feeling a weight grow on his shoulder and quickly turned to kiss his fellow blonde on the head.

"Hey Kara," he greeted, "How ya feeling?"

"Unloved because of a lack of ice on this finger," the girl pouted, holding her left hand up. Naruto paled and looked back at a smirking Selena.

"Oh you've got to be shitting me..."

* * *

-Gordon Residence, 4:26PM-

"Geez Wanda," Barbara said into her telephone, "You don't have to be so dramatic."

"_Ugh, But Barb...The cutest guy in the whole school just up and vanished! He's been missing for months,_" Wanda said back through the receiver, "_And you missing a week of school for that stupid job...What was it again?_"

Barbara chuckled. Her lie about getting a job for Wayne Enterprises was pulling wool over everyone's eyes, even her irate father's. She did a good job of convincing Alfred to tell him about her internship with Bruce.

"I was running a trial Internship with Wayne Enterprise," the redhead said as she wrapped her hair around one finger absentmindedly, "But what are you talking about? What boy?"

"_Um, hello! Naruto Kyle? Ring any bells?_" Wanda's annoyed tone made the disguised heroine blush as she thought of her last contact with the thief-turned-hero-turned-rouge.

* * *

-Flashback-

"What do you mean you're quitting?" Batgirl asked the blonde as he was getting minor medical treatment from The Question.

"Just that-OW! Do ya fuckin mind, Q? That's my good arm..." Naruto grumbled as he was being treated on the ground outside of the school while Canary and Superman searched the building for anyone else. Catwoman was treating a cut on Fang's side, the big cat gloomy as he couldn't lick the wound clean like he normally would.

"Sorry, I just remembered that I became a vigilante because I failed medical school," the masked PI replied humorously.

"Yuck it up, Blank-boy, and we'll see just what you look like if you aren't careful..." grumbled the blonde before he turned back to the redheaded girl, "As I was saying, if I were to continue being a hero, eventually the Friends would pit me against my friends...No offence, Barb, but my friends and I are tighter than you and I. Plus...Bats and Superman won't be exactly forgiving if I kill someone. And I will...again"

"N-No you won't, not if you train with us–" Naruto interrupted her with a stare, even Question stopped to 'look' at her blankly.

"Everyone eventually kills someone...Someone who deserves it, someone who doesn't, but someone eventually dies at from a 'Hero'," the blonde calmly said, pulling his shirt on as Question backed off, before continuing gravely, "Bats killed cops, corrupt, yes, but still cops. Superman didn't stop the tower from falling. Hell, ever since that incident with the Manhunters, I'll bet John the Lantern has been prepping new Lanterns for War. Can you fucking believe that? WAR? A war of Light. Oh yeah, I know. Catwoman ran with the LoD back in the day, remember? Sinestro was with her..."

"That doesn't–" "Oh, goddamn it Barb, grow up!" Naruto growled as he pulled his gloves on, "Q gets it...maybe. Hard to read him anyway. I'm out of the Hero business, my chance is gone. Killing what's his name and roasting Scarface was just the beginning."

He pulled his hood up and the goggles on. Looking down at Batgirl, Kitsune spoke.

"Better get your morals straight, Batgirl," he warned before walking away, "Because you've got a few options...but you can only choose once."

The teen vanished with Catwoman into the night, their motorcycle having been bugged they left with other means. Like a large plant.

* * *

-Present-

"_Hello?_" Wanda asked from the phone, "_Barb, you still there?_"

"Huh? Oh, yeah...Yeah, I'm here," the redhead replied after shaking her head, "Sorry, I was, um...Thinking about something a friend told me..."

"_Whatever...So anyway, about Naruto Kyle...I heard a rumor he was dropping out,_" Wanda said. Barbara smiled as she looked at her framed note she received some time ago.

"Yeah...Me too," the girl replied sadly.

* * *

-Two years later: Wayne Manor, Batcave, 11:23PM-

"Robin!" Batman called as they exited the Batmobile, "Robin stop!"

Robin ignored his teacher and went to his supply wall, grabbing a bag and starting to pack it with various gadgets and gizmos. The caped crusader scowled and pulled his mask off, storming over to the angered fifteen year old. Placing his hand on the boy's shoulder, only for the masked boy to shove it off and push him away.

"No, screw you! I'm not a child! I'm fucking fifteen!"

"Watch your mouth, Richard!" Bruce scolded. He got a punch to the gut for his words.

"Screw you, Bruce," Robin growled as he resumed packing, putting the brass knuckles he slipped on into the bag, "I'm out of here. Kitsune's gone, Joker's been underground for three years now, and Young Justice split after...You know..."

Shaking his head to forget about Aqualad's sacrifice, Robin went over to his bike and hopped on it, pulling his helmet on after saying a few final words of farewell, "I'm going to Jump City, Bruce. Don't try to stop me."

Bruce simply coughed roughly onto the stone floor as Robin sped away to the coastline of Jump City. The caped crusader regained his breath and panted before slamming a fist into the floor, cracking the stone with his fury.

"Dammit..."

* * *

-Kyle Penthouse, Jump City, Thursday, 7:45AM-

An alarm blared loudly, only to be silenced by a fist as it smashed the offending machine into pieces. Naruto sat up slowly, the morning sun shining brightly down on him as he did. He grumbled under his breath about outdated machines and the 'uselessness' of them. Sitting up, Naruto ran a hand down the side of his face and looked out to the coast. He had a clear view of the small island just off the coast of the city.

_Damn...I could get used to this..._Naruto thought with a grin. He closed the blinds and went to his bed once again, shaking the other occupant to rise. A red bundle of fur lazily lifted its head up and blinked two ruby red eyes at him.

"Never gonna get used to _that_," the blonde sighed as he forced a shiver back before looking at the yawning fox, "So...How are you today...Kage?"

"_I'm so sleepy, Naruto..."_ the fox whined as it looked up at him, _"Can't Momma and me stay in bed?"_

"No, Kage," Naruto chuckled out, scratching the fox behind an ear, "Christ...Kara has to get to work and we've gotta go 'scope'."

"_I like scoping!"_ the young Red Fox exclaimed with a loud bark as he ran out of the bedroom, stirring the other occupant from her sleep.

"Goddamn it, Kage...Momma wants to sleep longer," the blonde woman said to the now absent fox, "No barking..."

"My bad, Kara," Naruto said with a small chuckle, "I got him excited..."

The blonde Kryptonian grumbled before smiling softly and sitting up, grabbing the back of her fiancé's head and pulling him down into a kiss. He eagerly kissed her back, slowly climbing back in bed, only for the kiss to break.

"You woke me up early," Kara softly scolded with a smile, "So, no hanky-panky in the morning today."

Naruto's grin fell and he whined, "Damn...Ah, well, now I don't have to get smacked through a wall."

"That was one time..." Kara groaned as she shoved her fiancé back, her ruby graced ring gleaming in the sunlight, "One freaking time."

"And I'll hold it against you for the rest of time," Naruto said with a smirk before kissing Kara on the side of the head, "Now get dressed; Clark wants you at the Sat by nine."

"Yes, _Clark_," Supergirl mocked with a smirk, getting the messy blonde to scowl, "And you don't have to sound so happy I'm back with the Justice Friends..."

"Ah, but you've witnessed both sides," Naruto said as he kissed her head again, "And you know better than them. Besides, I don't give a fuck what they think. Fries' new gear should keep me off their radar."

"Yeah, it should," Kara whispered as she watched him leave the room. She wrapped her arms around her legs and frowned. Naruto and Kara moved away from Gotham only five days ago, and just after they were settled in, Clark called for her help when a tsunami suddenly struck Tokyo. With Kitsune and Firebird being simple low-key thieves, the return of Supergirl was safe to agree to occasionally. She just never enjoyed being away from her lover for so long...And she never told him it.

Unaware of Kara's unease at leaving him behind, the blonde thief and heir to the Kyle industry turned on the burner of their stove while putting on the TV radio. As rock music blared from the sound system, Naruto pulled two eggs out and cracked them on the pan's edge, opening them and getting them ready to scramble.

"Scrambles and Bacon sound good to you, Kage?" Naruto asked the small fox as it looked up at him, "Or something else?"

"_Scrambles and Bacon! Scrambles and Bacon!"_ the fox chanted happily as his bushy tail wagged. Naruto smiled down at the fox and dropped a bit of the shell, which was quickly devoured by the small canine, before returning to his cooking. Kyuubi had taught him better control over chakra, having him work on levitating himself with just his energy, and in doing so, he began radiating some of his, or rather, Kyuubi's essence. Connecting with Kage, or any Fox for that matter, was simpler than he expected.

"Babe, I'm making you eggs, so don't-" Naruto's call was interrupted by a sudden 'whoosh' and following sonic-boom, making him lamely finish, "rush off...Damn, I hate it when she does that sometimes..."

"_Momma has to help the people, Naruto! Scrambles and Bacon!"_ the fox yipped excitedly as Naruto tossed a few strips of raw bacon down to him. The messy blonde chuckled and shook his head as he finished the eggs up.

"Yeah...Yeah I know, Kage," the blonde said softly before his smile died, "Doesn't mean she can't stay and eat breakfast..."

* * *

-Jump City borders, 8:10AM-

"Hehehehehehehehe," a familiar demented voice let out as he lowered his binoculars, "Found you after so long..."

A motorcycle raced past the unshaven hobo, his ragged purple jacket blowing up to reveal abnormal feet that were white, and a large yellow set of teeth curled up in a smile.

"Well, well, look at that..." chuckled out Joker as he watched the young Dick Grayson race into the city, "The bird-boy finally decided to branch off on his own...well...isn't that a co-winky-dink?"

Joker looked around and smiled as he locked eyes on an industrial plant, which was obviously out of business.

"Haha haha...Perfect..." Joker laughed out, as he began walking towards it, "I wonder if Blood will mind that I stay here a while...then again, I heard Deathstroke was trying to make a name for himself. BAHAHAHA! Who calls themselves SLADE?"

* * *

**AN: Yeah, that's right. Right from Young Justice to Teen Titans. Don't worry, Batgirl and Artemis will be getting their chance at our blonde Dark/Anti Hero. I've been waiting a while to do this, and it's finally come to fruition. I'm sorry the chapter was short, but I'm trying to finish school before my Spring Break. Damn I love being enrolled in BOSS. Shit you not, that's my school's name. BOSS. Thought I'd give y'all a little look into my life seeing as you're all into my stories so much.**

**You know the drill fans.**

**REVIEW!**


	16. Episode 16

**AN: Hey guys, been a while right? Don't worry. I've just been working on the second part of KSOC by jotting down notes. Be ready to have more updates of your favorite fic!**

**Disclaimer: In other news, it's been nearly five months since the renegade author known as Bonesboy15 held Mr. Masashi Kishimoto and the DC towers hostage. There has been no sighting of the mad author trying to obtain the rights to the **_**Naruto**_** manga and the rights to the DC universe. He has now made it to the top of the FBI's most wanted. More after these messages, but first, Bigfoot marries Mayor West.**

**Episode 16: On the Job**

* * *

-Jump City Park, Thursday, 9:10 AM-

"Dammit Kage, don't pull on your collar, you'll choke yourself!" Naruto scolded his pet as the excited fox tried to chase after the squirrel that passed their path. The fully-grown fox whined pathetically and looked back at the blonde.

"_But, but, but...It's a squirrel! I gotta get it, Naruto! Gotta! Gotta! Gotta!_" whined Kage as he looked at the climbing squirrel. The blonde chuckled and knelt next to the whining fox, gently putting his hand on the blood red fur covered head and rubbing his thumb just beneath the ear. The fox relaxed slightly at the touch and tilted his head up to give the thief a lick under the chin.

Naruto smiled and patted the fox's head, "Come on, you kittling, you can ride on my shoulders until we get home, ok?"

Eagerly, Kage leapt up onto his shoulders and instantly draped himself like a fur, giving the blonde a strange accessory. Naruto shook his head in amusement and unhooked the leash from his fox's black collar. Winding the leash up, he stuffed it in the back of his jeans and continued his walk. Naruto gave a pair of young women a kind smile as they jogged past and calmly continued his stroll while Kage lazed about on his shoulders.

_I wonder how Kara's doing?_ The blonde thief thought before frowning slightly, _She was really in a hurry to get back to the Justice Friends' aid...Maybe she misses being Supergirl more than I thought..._

Not looking where he was going, Naruto bumped into someone and knocked him or her down to the ground. The blonde took a step backwards from the collision and went to help whoever he knocked down when said person cut him off, "You stupid shit-faced asshole! Watch where you're walking, dumbass...Naruto?"

"Giz?" The blonde shot back, offering his friend a hand, which was taken gratefully, "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? What are _you_ doing here, dumbass!" the young genius asked with suspicious eyes, "Last I heard you were part of the goddamn Justice Friends!"

Naruto growled and gripped the shorter man by his collar, bringing the genius up to his eye-level, "Don't bring them up with me, got it Tech-Boy?"

To add effect to his warning, Naruto slipped some of his killer intent into his glare, making the short technological genius sweat heavily. Micron O'Geneus felt true fear as he stared into his friend's eyes. The eyes were ice cold, eyes that he had seen only a few times before when the blonde was hell-bent on something.

"N-Naruto...I-I'm sorry!" he stuttered out, getting a grunt from the blonde as he was dropped to the ground. Micron gasped and clutched at his chest. He could have sworn he had seen his own death at the blonde's hands.

Naruto looked down at his friend with apologetic eyes and helped him to his feet, "Sorry, Giz...I...I'm having problems with Kara and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Micron exclaimed with his hands up in the 'time-out' gesture, "Hold the phone! You're really dating Supergirl? You're _really_ tapping that ass?"

The blonde thief rolled his eyes and absentmindedly reached up to scratch Kage behind the ear, "Yes. I'm really 'tappin' dat ass. We're going through...something right now, I think...But enough of my personal life, what are you doing here? I thought you were gonna stay in Bat's territory?"

"Psh, remember that psycho Blood that popped up for a week in Gotham?" the short bald man asked, and upon getting a nod he continued, "Yeah, well he started a school here in Jump City. That and rumors are the Bird Boy broke away from Bat after Catwoman got arrested."

Ignoring the memories of his mother's trial, Naruto's eyebrows shot up, "Really? Dickey finally grew a pair and decided to branch off?"

"Guess so," Micron shrugged as he began walking away before quickly turning around, "Oh, hey! You wanna help me teach these shitheads how to be villains?"

Naruto blinked and scratched his cheek as he asked, "Uh...Is it good pay?"

"Dude, I've got a penthouse...and three maids...from different companies!" the genius deadpanned. Naruto crossed his arms and closed his eyes as he thought about this, ignoring Kage as he jumped down to investigate the genius. Gizmo wasn't one to exaggerate when it came to payment, and if he was doing that well by teaching kids how to be supervillains, then why shouldn't he get in on it? Well there is one reason: Kara.

He wasn't sure how his fiancé would feel about him teaching the next generation of villains, and that was the scary thing. Not to mention the possibility of her going to her cousin with that tidbit of information.

"I'll get back to you on that," Naruto said after a moment. Gizmo shrugged before grinning at the little fox sniffing his feet.

"Kage sure changed..." He said, crouching down to scratch the fox behind the ears, "He's what? Twenty? Twenty-five pounds?"

"Twenty-three, the little fatass," Naruto said with a smirk, earning a disgruntled yip from the fox. The two friends continued to chat before splitting off, but Gizmo gave the blonde his number and the numbers of their friends' new places. The thief jokingly suggested they all get together sometime to plan an ol' fashioned night out, which in criminal lingo meant: Get wasted and fight somebody.

The two shared a laugh before walking away, promising to meet up once again soon.

* * *

-Watchtower, 10:20 AM-

"Would you go away, Megan?" Kara asked with a groan. The tsunami was a quick fix, and thanks to the recent (yet for reasons unknown) decline in crime, she didn't have to stay to help with the rest of the clean up. The blonde super heroine arrived back at the Watchtower just as the Martian Girl and J'onn returned from one of their space expeditions they had recently been taking.

"But, I just want to know if you've heard from Naruto!" the redheaded Martian replied. _However_, Megan internally thought, _it's more for Arte and Barb. They've been losing sleep with their side-mission of finding Kitsune. And sooner or later, Batman's going to notice. That's if he hasn't already._

Kara clenched her fist and rounded on the Martian, her eyes narrowed in anger, "Why? So you can turn him over to _Bruce_?"

No, Kara wasn't still pissed at Batman for the Riddler incident...That was sarcasm people. Of course she was pissed! That was her fiancé that had risked his life...for a friend, but still!

"Kara, I wouldn't do that!" shot back an offended Megan, "He's my friend and some of the others are worried because he hasn't been seen since...Kaldur's..."

Kara frowned and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. Like the other members of Young Justice, Megan had been struck hard when Kaldur died. During his funeral, the cousin to the last Kryptonian accompanied her fiancé to pay their respects to the fallen hero. Naruto kept his distance, while she interacted freely with her friends and fellow heroes. It seems he wasn't as discrete as he thought he was.

"Listen, Meg," Kara started softly, "I know it's hard, believe me, I do, but Naruto isn't exactly what the League needs. I'll...I'll keep an eye out for him."

"T-Thanks, Kara," Megan replied before her gaze suddenly snapped up. The blonde Kryptonian recognized the look in her friend's eyes and swore internally. Megan had just accidently read her thoughts.

"Kara...You..." Supergirl cut her off with a quick and firm punch to the stomach. As Megan doubled over her friend's fist, she could only manage a quiet, "W-Why?"

"Naruto and I are happy," Kara whispered, a frown on her face as she explained her reasons to the younger heroine, "We want to be left alone, Megan. Please don't make me do something I'll regret."

Megan was unconscious after that statement. Picking the younger girl up, she sped towards Megan's room with super speed before returning to the teleportation chambers. Setting the coordinates randomly, Kara stepped onto the pad and looked back towards the doors with a small frown.

_I hope she doesn't tell anyone about our engagement,_ Kara mused to herself before the machine activated and she teleported away. Reappearing above the Amazon, Kara sighed quietly before flying towards Jump City. The platinum blonde heroine began thinking about how flimsy her cover for Naruto was; _I should have never told them I dumped him. Dammit. Now if Megan says anything or if J'onn reads her mind...crap! I hope they leave us alone. I like our apartment..._

* * *

-Kyle Penthouse, Jump City, 11:10 AM-

"Come on, come on...YES! Choke on _that_, Tsparks1993! You just got sniped for the eighth time!" Naruto cheered as he played CoD:MW3 on his Xbox360. The small machine was an engagement gift from his mother, who he really should consider calling seeing as he hadn't spoken to her since her arrest a few months ago, or since the trial that lasted three days.

Though for some reason he couldn't get anyone at Arkham Asylum to pick up the phone. Even Hugo Strange wasn't answering, and that man loved to talk to the blonde thief.

Maybe he should call Barbra and ask if-

"No, no, no...bad idea, Naruto," the blonde berated himself as he shut his system off, bored with killing the poor players scattered across the world. (Elsewhere, a certain gamer cried in joy as his tormentor dropped out of the game, before screaming in horror when he blew himself up.) Naruto stretched and let his back pop before he relaxed back on the couch and began flipping through channels.

He stopped when he came across Jump City's national news channel, "_Earlier today, Arkham Asylum's warden, a mister Quincy Sharp, has just announced that he will enter the next campaign for Gotham's Mayor. He's also announced that there will be hiring opportunities for doctors and guards. More to come on this story later, but in other news, the disaster of Japan's Hurricane has been taken care of by none other than-_"

The TV was shut off by a secondary remote, making Naruto sit up on the couch, look back and smile softly at his fiancé's choice of attire. Giving her a wolf whistle, the blonde hero said, "Damn, that suit _still_ fits in all the right places."

"Perv," Kara shot back with a smile as she walked around the couch before she sat in his lap. Naruto wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss. He was surprised by her suddenly turning around and straddling him, wrapping her arms around his neck and deepening said kiss. When they broke for air, the platinum blonde smiled and said, "That was for leaving in such a rush earlier..."

"And here I thought you hated my cooking," Naruto replied instantly with a grin. Kara rolled her eyes and kissed him again before they parted. The blonde thief gave a foxy smirk as he began massaging her back just above her waist, "So...I heard something about Supergirl cleaning up after a hurricane?"

"Mm...what are you suggesting?" Kara asked through a low moan. Naruto opened his mouth to retort when he felt a sensation that hadn't gone through his body in over five months.

**"Oh, no please continue,"** a redheaded man wearing dark red sunglasses said, making the two look over at him, **"Don't mind me. I'm just watching the show."**

"_Kyuubi_..." Naruto growled in annoyance. Kara looked from the newcomer to her fiancé, "Who?"

Naruto looked at the girl and back at the redheaded man with wide eyes, "You're letting her in on this? You didn't let Selena in on this!"

Kyuubi rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses, **"Please, your adoptive mother would throw a shit fit if she met me. I know how much she despises seeing you exhausted after one of your exercises. On a side note, I'm impressed that you haven't thrown up or passed out after making a hundred clones last week."**

Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Heh, thanks."

**"Not the normal one thousand that you used to be able to do, though,"** Quipped the demon lord with a smirk. The blonde thief felt a scowl come over his face at the mention of his past life.

"Ass..."

**"Well I try,"** Kyuubi replied with that damnable smirk of his before he became serious, **"Why haven't you procreated yet? Is your first mate not in season?"**

"Kyuubi!" "Excuse me?" Naruto and Kara cried out. Before Naruto could continue berating his guardian from a past life, Kara stood up from her place straddling her beau and balled her fists as she faced the intruder, "Who exactly are you? What do you mean 'mate'? We're not dogs!"

**"Thank god for that,"** Kyuubi muttered to himself before looking at the blonde thief on the couch, **"You haven't told her?"**

"I'd like to keep my balls, thanks," Naruto grumbled back as he crossed his arms, "Besides, I'm not exactly looking forward to playing polygamist..."

"WHAT?" Kara exclaimed, looking at her fiancé with narrowed eyes. Naruto jumped behind the couch when red lasers shot from her pupils and scorched his seat. The blonde thief swallowed heavily before he pointed at Kyuubi.

"Hey, don't get mad at me, Kara! He's the fucker that told me I had to revive my race or some shit like that!" Naruto cried out.

Kyuubi chuckled when Kara glared daggers at him, **"He's not lying. Like you and your cousin, my 'son' there is the last member of a race known as Elementals. However, he also happens to be the cross-dimensional reincarnation of a young warrior that almost saved the world. I, or rather, my cross-dimensional ancestor was sealed within him."**

"Tch, that had to have been fun," Naruto grumbled before ducking back down behind the couch as a large gust of wind was shot at him, "Oi! I'm on your side here!"

**"You've yet to show me that,"** the redheaded man said with a frown, **"I was expecting two litters, or at least one by now. I was also expecting you to move in on that-"**

"Uh-uh, ix-nay on other irls-gay," Naruto cut in before he caught a pot that his fiancé had thrown at him, "Oh come on, baby! I stole this for our anniversary last year!"

"Have you been cheating on me?" Kara demanded, her eyes filled with tears and narrowed in anger.

_Fuck me!_ Naruto thought as he set the pot down before looking at Kara, "Kara, I would never cheat on you!"

**"Again, I reiterate: You should have been looking for more mates,"** Kyuubi grumbled as he rested his head on his fist. Kara sent a glare his way and twin red beams shot out of her eyes at him. Before the beams connected, Kyuubi vanished in a flash of red and reappeared at the island in their small kitchen. Smirking, he spoke, **"I've said it before 'son'; You made a good choice with your alpha mate."**

"I swear to God, you're gonna get me killed at this rate!" Naruto exclaimed with his head in his hands, dropping to cower behind the couch when Kara swiveled her glaring gaze at the sunglasses wearing entity.

**"Oh please, I've only cost you a night in bed at the least,"** Kyuubi replied before vanishing once again when the couch was thrown at him. Naruto whimpered.

"Babe, not the couch...I loved that couch..." the thief moaned in dismay as the couch he and Kara chose a week ago was sent through the penthouse wall, "Dammit babe, we didn't get to christen that couch yet..."

**"Ah, so you are working on litters!"** the redheaded man said with approval from his spot in the corner chair he normally appears with, **"Little blondes with red eyes...I hope you can handle the lasers, Son."**

"You are _not_ helping me!" Naruto shouted with a tick in his eye, cocking his fist back as it became enshrouded in wind. He sent it forward and caused Kyuubi's eyebrows to shoot up from behind his sunglasses. The redheaded man smirked and held a hand up, causing the burst of wind to disperse immediately. Naruto scowled at that and prepared for another attack when Kyuubi suddenly snapped his fingers and the two felt themselves freeze.

**"I'm not going to fight the both of you,"** he said, causing the two blondes to growl at him, **"Though it would be amusing to see, I have no reason to. This visit was meant originally as a warning, Naruto. You **_**must**_** find others to mate with."**

"And if I don't want to?" Naruto asked as his eyes turned red with anger, "What'll happen?"

**"You'll die."** Kyuubi replied without a single hint of humor in his sentence. Naruto's eyes widened and Kara's mouth popped open in shock.

* * *

**AN: OH. SNAP. I didn't...No wait (Rereads), Yup, I did. I made the ultimate fantasy for **_**most**_** men a freaking must. Due to the genius bastards running this site, I have to be careful what I write: meaning no lemons for a while. Shame, isn't it? Sorry it was short, but thems the breaks kids.  
**

**Anyway, glad to be back with my number one fic!**

**Next Episode: Go...Back to Gotham!  
**

**REVIEW!**


	17. Episode 17

**Disclaimer: Breaking News! The renegade author known as Bonesboy15 has just been spotted in the northeast area of Metropolis! If you spot the rouge writer, be sure not to tell him he has no ownership over Naruto or DC characters! On a lighter note, scientists have finally answered the question we've all wanted to know: How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? Tune in tonight to find out!**

**Episode 17: Go...Back to Gotham!**

* * *

~Kyle Penthouse, Jump City, Thursday, 11:30 AM~

_**"****You'll die."**__ Kyuubi replied without a single hint of humor in his sentence. Naruto's eyes widened and Kara's mouth popped open in shock._

"...I'LL DIE?" Naruto repeated in shock, "What-How...The Fuck are you talking about?"

**"I meant what I said," **Kyuubi chuckled out, **"You either find more mates, or you die. Simple as that."**

"Simple...No fucking way is that 'simple'!" Naruto shouted at the redheaded entity, "What, am I going to die from blue balls?"

Ignoring Kara's growl, Kyuubi chuckled, **"Well...That's not entirely inaccurate."**

Naruto blinked before clapping a hand over his face. Dragging the appendage slowly down, he then asked, "Are you fucking serious?"

**"Completely, note my serious face,"** Kyuubi said, pointing at his serious look, **"Having a strong alpha is good, don't get me wrong, but if you don't find other mates, you're going to lose yourself."**

The blonde thief felt his eye twitch, "I'm going to go _crazy_...if I don't find other girls?"

**"Yup! Perfectly natural for a Elemental,"** He said with a nod, **"You should be thankful you're not a female. They were the ones that actually caused that damn outcome for the males. Clever vixens..."**

"So let me see if I got this right," Naruto said slowly, "Being an...Elemental, I have to find a small harem, or I lose my mind and die from blue balls. Is that what's happening here?"

**"You got it in a nutshell, Kit!"** The man said with a smirk before looking at Kara, **"And what's your-?"** He ducked under a twin set of lasers once again before he spoke, **"Oh, ho, ho! She's feisty, Kit. Be careful when you go hunting!"**

"Wha? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Kyuubi? Are you gonna explain this in more detail or not?" Naruto asked as the entity began fading. The redheaded man gave another damnable smirk.

**"It's much more fun to watch you squirm, Kit! Good luck with your alpha. She seems a bit miffed,"** Kyuubi informed him before vanishing in a red swirl. Naruto glared daggers at where the man was before he was slammed against the wall of their penthouse with Kara holding him by the collar of his shirt.

"B-Babe?" He asked through a gasp of pain, "I...I Think he's bullshitting us..."

"You knew about this!" Kara yelled, hurt and anger in her words as she slammed him into the wall once again, cracking it, "You didn't think about telling me before our engagement?"

"N-Not...Suicidal..." Naruto muttered before he was shoved through the wall and out over the city. As he fell, Naruto realized something: If he could fly, life would be so much easier.

_Wait a minute...Wind plus speed plus control equals...Oh I'm a Friggin genius!_ Naruto thought with an excited smirk as he spun around so he was facing the ground. Swallowing heavily and praying to god, Naruto threw his hands forward and expelled wind from them. He began to slow, but it wasn't enough.

_More!_ The blonde decided, pumping more of his chakra through his arms and counteracting the fall. He faintly heard someone scream his name, but ignored it as he concentrated. Bringing his feet down as his torso slowed, he then shot wind through his soles balancing himself weakly before shooting upwards. As he did this, one thing came to mind and the blonde vocalized his thoughts.

"FLYING IS _AWESOME!_" Naruto exclaimed as he shot up past Kara, who had dove after him when she realized what she had done. The Girl of Steel quickly flew after her beau, intent on first discovering how he learned to do that, and then kicking his ass for keeping his polygamist life from her.

"NARUTO KYLE!" Kara screamed as she chased him through the sky. Naruto looked down at his fiancé and swallowed.

"Oh yeah...I was going to die before this bout of awesome just happened," the blonde murmured to himself before rolling in midair and flying alongside the rooftops. It was then he realized something else: When flying, be sure to have goggles handy.

How did he realize that?

_Damn wind is cutting into my eyes!_ Thought the blonde as he flew, his eyes straining to remain open, before he finally shut one briefly. When he reopened that eye, the orb widened as he approached the glass window of an office building.

"Today is just not my day..." he said to himself before crashing through the window and destroying several cubicles as he rolled to a stop. Groaning, Naruto pushed a chair off of him when a certain platinum blonde haired girl grabbed his ankle. Knowing that running would be pointless and stupid, Naruto fell back on his only other motive of defense; begging.

"Babe? Sweetie? You know I love you right? I wouldn't cheat on you or lie to you! You know that, right?" he asked as Supergirl dragged him through the office building by his ankle with several people watching from behind the rubble. A few guys were torn between pitying him and scowling at him out of jealousy. One man actually bowed his head and began praying...in Latin. Not good signs for our favorite blonde thief.

"Yes, I know," Supergirl replied before smirking as she walked, "But I don't think you understand just how mad I am. And seeing as you've learned to fly, I think its time for a good ole fashioned game of tag."

"...Can we at least stop by and put the couch back?"

"Tag, Honey," Kara said as she grabbed his ankle with both hands before throwing him through the windows, "_I'm_ it!"

"FUUUUUUUUCK!" Naruto screamed as he soared across the sky before diving into his newfound ability and shooting back towards his penthouse, Supergirl behind him. Atop the building they just left, stood a very familiar redheaded man.

**"Consider this payback for hanging around with those buffoons in green, Kit,"** Snickered out Kyuubi before he sobered up and frowned, **"I wonder if I should have told him the truth? That he needs more mates because of his overabundance in power. Hmm...Nah! It's much more fun seeing him squirm."**

"The face! Hit the Face!" Naruto cried off in the distance. Kyuubi chuckled.

**"This beats TV any day."**

* * *

-O'Jeanus Penthouse, Jump City, 1:25 PM-

"Answer that, will you Michelle?" Micron asked one of his maids as he tinkered with a device in his office. He was enjoying the quiet, but then that damn phone had to ring. Stupid idiots, whoever invented the machine. Couldn't they have made it so it wasn't an annoying ring?

"Master Micron?" Michelle, the maid, asked as she stood outside of his office, the telephone in her hand, "It is a Mister Naruko Kyle..."

"_Naruto! My name is NA-RU-TO! Freakin...At least listen to me!"_

Micron chuckled at his friend's tone over the phone and pressed a button on his wristwatch, "Thanks Michelle. You can hang the phone up. Hey shit-face! You're on speaker!"

"_Ugh...Dude, question._"

"Ask away, dumbass," Micron causally said as he tinkered with his small machine before it fizzed, "Fuck."

"_Oh, you working? Want me to call later?_"

"Nah, it's fine," Micron dismissed as he waved the smoke away, "What do ya need, Naruto?"

"_You wouldn't happen to have a spare bed would you?_"

"Did Supergirl break up with you? Oh, and don't worry. I bugged my own phones so no one else could."

"_Worse, she decided to stay with me._"

"Uh, how is that a _bad_ thing?"

"_...I'm a polygamist..._"

"Aren't we all on the inside?"

"_No, I mean...*sigh* Remember when I told you and the others about Kyuubi last year and he introduced himself?_"

"Kyuubi? That freaky thing that calls himself your pops? Taught you most of your mutant shit?"

"_Yeah, __him__._"

"What about him?"

Naruto groaned on the other side of the line and muttered something incoherent. Micron blinked before grinning, "No fucking way. He introduced himself to Kara, didn't he?"

"_Yup._"

"He wouldn't introduce himself to Selena!"

"_That's what I said!_"

"Oh dude," Micron chuckled, "I do _not_ envy you at all."

"_That's not all! Get this, either I find some more girls or I die. I. DIE. He said it with a straight face!_"

"You have to find more chicks to screw or you die? How, Blue Balls of Doom?"

"_..._"

"No fucking way!"

"_Shut up._"

"Oh. My. Fucking. God."

"_I swear to God, you start laughing and I will kill you! I mean it. It'll make Croc's victims look like shank accidents!_"

"*Snicker* C'mon, you've got to admit, that's definitely the worst way to go."

"_Fuck you, Micro._"

"Touché! So what's the real reason you called, because I know you didn't call me to act like a teenage girl," Micron asked as he removed a small gear from the machine he was fiddling with.

"_That job offer still good?_"

"...Did you knock her up during the make-up sex?"

"_Goodbye, Micron._"

"DUDE! _That's_ Hysterical! Fucking hysterical! How do you know?"

"_...I can smell it..._"

Naruto would hang up the phone out of sheer embarrassment when Micron O'Jeanus was heard falling to the ground and laughing.

* * *

-Jump City Streets, Friday, 1:45 AM-

Naruto was walking back from his interview with Brother Blood and had a black backpack hanging off one shoulder. The interview had gone well, except for the attempt at mind control, and Naruto was given the job of teaching stealth and theft. He had called Kara, who had fixed their penthouse wall prior to their make-up session in the bedroom, and told her the news. She was ecstatic and then _suggested_ he get home to help her pick out some baby clothes.

Hence, why Naruto was walking.

As for his job, it was an appeasement: She stays with him and lets this little harem thing happen, despite her burning hatred for it, on two conditions; First, he gets a nearby job and second, she gets a voice on who's in or out of their family. The fact that Kara agreed to let him do this boggled Naruto's mind. He was certain she would at least leave him.

Course...the fact he spoiled her rotten sometimes might have something to do with it. That, and Kage helped a lot with getting her to calm down after their meeting with Mr. Not-Father-of-the-Year. Oh, and the sex.

As he thought about his fiancé, Naruto faintly heard a shout and then nearly fell due to an explosion. Groaning because he was both curious and yet wanted to get home, Naruto had a brief mental debate on what to do before he settled on a decision. Ducking down an alleyway and waiting for the people to run past, Naruto grabbed the underside of his shirt and pulled up, revealing his Kitsune attire hidden beneath it. The weak **Henge** on his jeans faded and revealed his redesigned cargos, courtesy of a Mr. and Mrs. Fries. Rather than normal cargo pockets, he had kunai holsters on his thighs with a small orange fox head on the flap. Reaching into his pack and pulling his goggles, gloves, and knives out, Naruto finished his gearing up and then stuffed his shirt into the pack. He hid the pack in a drainpipe that was rusted and broken.

_Look out, Jump City,_ he thought as he leapt to the wall and began running up it, _The Kitsune is here!_

Kitsune used his new form of flight to give him a bit of a boost so that could land on the rooftop, but his aim was a bit off. He had shot himself _over_ the roof and smack dab into the fight between what had to be two blue lizard aliens and Young Justice. Strange, wasn't Young Justice disbanded after Kaldur's-?

"Fuck me-LOOK OUT!" the thief cried as he began falling towards a teen with cybernetic limbs. The teen looked up and yelped before jumping out of the way, allowing Kitsune to use his wind to stabilize himself before landing on his feet. Inwardly groaning at the now pain filled muscles in his legs, Kitsune straightened himself with a grunt.

It was then he noticed that all eyes were on him.

Looking at the most recognizable first, Kitsune gave a smile and a wave, "Hey Bird-boy! How's it hanging?"

"Wha...?" Robin gaped at the reappearance of his frienemy before he ducked under a tossed throwing knife. Behind him a squelch was heard and an alien cried out in pain as the knife imbedded itself in his arm. Robin looked from the alien to the fox-themed thief and frowned when he saw the teen was defending himself from another jailer.

"Dude, you are the ugliest thing I've ever seen!" Kitsune proclaimed as he blocked the electric staff with his arm and then swept the feet out from underneath the lizard-like being, "And after looking at Kid Flash, that's saying something!"

"Oh, burn!" cried out the green skinned hero wearing purple and black clothes. He morphed into a large rhinoceros and charged the alien as it started to rise, sending it flying into an adjacent building's wall. Before the alien could move, Kitsune vanished in a flash of red light, reappearing in front of the alien and slamming his fist into its stomach.

Kitsune then flipped the alien over his shoulder and onto its back before he knelt over the alien and grabbed it by its head, using chakra to keep a grip on it. He grinned ferociously before he spoke, "What planet you from?"

"Wh-What?" the alien asked with an equally lizard-like voice that matched its body. He received a punch to the face.

"What ain't no planet I ever heard of! They speak English on What?" the thief asked once again, ignoring his awed audience.

"What?" Punch. "GAH!"

"English mother_fucker_, do you speak it?" Kitsune asked as his eyes narrowed behind his goggles.

"Yes! Yes I speak English, human!" The alien replied.

"Then you know what I'm sayin'?" asked the young thief.

"Yes!"

"Good, now describe to me what your Planet looks like," Kitsune ordered. The alien blinked.

"What?" Punch. "FRAG!"

"Say 'what' again. Say 'what' again. I dare you, no, I _double_ dare you, motherfucker! Say 'what' one more goddamn time!" Much to his dismay, the alien decided then would be the perfect time to pass out. Kitsune frowned and stood up, "Damn. I was hoping he'd burst out laughing. Guess they don't have _Pulp Fiction_ in space..."

"K-Kitsune?" Robin asked after a brief moment. The thief blinked and looked back at the sidekick, grinning widely.

"Bird-Boy!" he exclaimed happily, vanishing in a red flash and reappearing right in front of Robin. He wrapped the young hero up in a crushing hug, "You're all grown up! You did it, man! You left Bats! I told you he was bad for you! Teaching you to wear them tights and whatnot!"

"G-Get...OFF!" the embarrassed Boy Wonder cried out as the notorious thief crushed him in the hug. Thankfully, Kitsune was listening to him this time, because Robin soon found himself landing on the ground, gasping. Kitsune chuckled at his young friend's misfortune before freezing as one of his internal senses went off. Grabbing the downed, bleeding, and still conscious alien nearby, the thief called upon his chakra and enhanced his muscles, tossing the creature high into the sky.

To the young heroes' horror, the creature exploded seconds afterwards.

"Well, that could have been messy," Kitsune casually stated before turning around and facing the four unknowns, "Huh...Did ya start your own YJ, Rob?"

Robin growled and pushed himself to his feet, "No. We just met. Literally."

"Are you even on name basis with these kids?" Kitsune asked as he flicked a thumb in their direction. Robin shook his head, making Kitsune's face split into another smile, "Oh goody! I get to play introducer again!"

He vanished in a swirl of leaves before reappearing next to the cybernetic teen, his hand extended, "Hello, my name is Kitsune! Former YJ member and thief extraordinaire! I used to run about in Gotham, but I moved out here for fresh air and the lack of bats!"

"Uh...C-Call me Cyborg," the teen, Cyborg, replied as he offered his own hand. He found himself falling to his knees as Kitsune crushed his hand in his grip. The smirk on his face alerted the other four that something was up.

"Cy-bored. Gotcha," he agreed, releasing the teen's hand before moving to the green skinned teen, "And you?"

"Beast Boy reporting sir!" The newly dubbed Beast Boy announced with a salute, "Forgive me if I don't shake your hand, sir! An honor to meet a member of Young Justice!"

"Well thank you!" Kitsune replied with a smile before looking at Robin, "I like him. That's why I'm going to do this~!"

A familiar silver ball was suddenly flicked at Beast Boy, hitting him in the face and causing a large amount of ice to encase him. The two girls and Robin braced themselves in preparation to fight. Kitsune waved them off and gestured to their feet. Looking down, they saw similar silver balls at their feet and a flash alerted them to their and Cyborg's freezing.

Kitsune then moved to the girl wearing a blue cape, "And you?"

"Raven..._Aseroth, Metrion, Zinth-_UMPH!" she was cut off by a large bit of duck tape slapped on her mouth, making her scowl beneath it. The goggled thief nodded once and moved onto the orange skinned alien. He paused and cupped his chin.

"Oh now I just feel bad..." he muttered before shrugging, "Oh well. No permanent harm to...?"

"_Koriand'r_," the teen alien replied with a frown, "Starfire in your language."

"Ah. Again, Sorry about the ice, but personal safety and all that." He gave her a smile before vanishing once again and chopping her in the back of the neck. Kitsune tisked and shook his head, "They just don't make alien hotties like they used to. Supergirl must be the best of the best...but then again I haven't sparred with M'Gann in a while..."

"Why are you doing this?" Robin asked, cutting the thief off from his own musings, "What's your game, Naru-?"

The glare sent his way at almost saying his full name shut Robin up quickly, "Don't talk to me, _Richard_. You and I both know that you were involved with Selena's capture. You're on my shit list, Boy Blunder, but because of our past, I'll give you one chance: Go Back to Gotham, or the next time we meet you'll wind up in the hospital. Get me?"

"..." Robin couldn't respond as he found himself frozen in fear because of the aura radiating from Kitsune's body. Even Raven, the only other conscious teen present that wasn't fully encased in ice, found herself unable to move. Kitsune kept his hidden glare on Robin for a full minute before turning around and walking away.

"The ice will melt in fifteen minutes," Kitsune informed them, "Don't come after me Robin. Or it _will_ be the last thing you do."

* * *

**AN: Oh...Yeah. That felt nice. A little bit deeper into the next sub-plot, which is leading up to the Arkham City portion. First we've got to get through some titans and bring back a few more old friends...and foes.**

**Next time; Episode 18: Down the Rabbit Hole...**

**REVIEW!**


	18. Episode 18

**Disclaimer: This just in! Renegade FF author Bonesboy15 has been spotted outside the Universal Studios. What dastardly deed could this devilish scribe be up to? If you see the author in question, please contact your local authorities' trademark division. On a side note, **_**TM Cops**_** airs Next Friday at eight pm on **_**FOX**_**! Interview with the creator of the series later tonight. Stay tuned!**

**Episode 18: Down the Rabbit Hole...**

* * *

~Kyle Penthouse, Jump City, Oct 1st, 4:25 PM~

"Kara! I'm home!" Naruto called out as he walked in the door. The blonde, wearing a blue windbreaker over a white T and jeans, dropped his duffle bag (which contained his alter ego's outfit) at the door. A happy Kara floated into the room from the back and gave him a hug, Kage yipping around their feet while his tail wagged. The embraced blondes' hug turned into a deep meaningful kiss before Kara dragged her fiancé to the couch.

Snuggling up to her man, the Kryptonian asked, "So how was it?"

Naruto, who was stroking Kage's head as he sat on their laps, smiled, "It...Was good."

* * *

~Earlier That Morning~

"Students, may I introduce to you your new Robbery and Escapist teacher; The Kitsune," Blood said to the standing students that looked over the slightly older thief. Sighing, the vulpine-themed teen asked himself why he bothered to agree to this.

_Oh yeah, I've got a baby on the way..._ Kitsune thought with a small smile. He eyed the students, scrutinizing them for hints of ideal thieves for a possible brotherhood or apprentice. What? Heroes aren't the only one with short life expectancies. Thieves more or less are gunned down by rookie cops or fame hunters more than the average murderer is.

"I leave my children in your care, Kitsune," Blood said as he glided out of the room, making the hooded thief repress a shiver. That was just eerie.

Kitsune noticed the class eyeing him expectantly and he cleared his throat before moving to stand in front of the desk. Uncrossing his arms and leaning back in an open posture, thus making his students relax (psychological body reading for the win!), the foxy thief gave his signature grin to the teens and preteens in the room, "Well, now that you all know my name...s, I guess I should learn yours, right? So lets start with...you: Queen Bee."

The student he was referring to was a young African-American girl with her curly black hair pulled up into two panda-like pigtails. For some reason it looked familiar to Naruto, hence why he chose her. She was dressed in a tight sleeveless top that was colored like a bee, black tights and boots covering her lower body. Around her wrists were two silver bands and hooked on her hips were two strange metallic chakrams. The girl's eye twitched, "My name is _Bumble_bee."

"...You mean like the-?"

"Yes, like the Transformer!" the girl snapped, cutting an amused Kitsune off, "Master Blood was the one to deliver code names, but considering what I can do, I guess it's close enough."

Cue the hidden raised brow from the teacher. Humming, the goggled thief asked, "So what can you do?"

"I can manipulate electricity through my stingers," Bumblebee said, holding one of the chakrams up, "though it's not potent enough to kill...yet."

_Note to self: Do NOT introduce to Livewire_, Kitsune mused with a hum, "Anything else?"

With a shrug, the girl admitted, "I'm working on size-alteration and I can sprout insect-like wings from my back."

"Flying has its uses, but keep working on that size-alteration, especially shrinking," the teacher advised with an extended finger, "If your enemy can't see you, they can't hit you. And that doesn't necessarily mean you have to be fast. Next up, you: Uh...Cyclops."

"I'm See-More!" the enthusiastic student introduced himself with a grin, "I developed this super headpiece when I was bored just two years ago. These babies can see through walls, shoot laser beams, hypnotize people, track targets, and even decipher languages I can't read yet!"

"...But why is there one eye?" Kitsune asked with a tilted head, earning himself muffled squeals from the villainesses-in-training. He still had that charm...oblivious as hell, but he still had it.

See-More poked his fingers together as he shrank into himself, "I, er, sorta forgot to make two modified lenses before I made the outfit."

"Hindsight is 20/20, and I would like to say now that you're a good thief if you're never caught, but you're a master thief if you're never heard of," Kitsune pointed out, earning scratching of pencils as they wrote it down, "Being too recognizable isn't what being a thief is all about. Though I will admit, your headset's abilities do make up for the glaring detail most will remember."

"Hey, I've got a question," a student dressed like an American soldier with various HIVE logos in place of anything related to a country, "Are you a Master Thief?"

"Fuck no," Kitsune chuckled out, "Thievery is more of a hobby for me, once a necessity, but I'm on par with some minor members of the League. Besides, I like screwing around with heroes. It's fun. What's your name?"

"Oh! Private Hive reporting for duty, sir! I don't have any unique powers or fancy equipment save for my HIVE shield," Pvt. Hive said while standing at attention with a salute. Kitsune blinked before scratching his head.

"Uh, at ease?" the teen dropped his salute and sat back down. Kitsune sighed before eyeing a fidgeting student trying to hide herself from his gaze to the far left of the room. Like his mother, she had a feline motif, but it was more centered on the Asian Tiger than a common street cat. She even had a short sword to go along with the slightly armored portions of her costume. Though she had blue eyes similar to his and his fiancé's, a common trait amongst blondes, her hair was a raven black.

"You, Tigress, you're next." The girl's eyes widened at being singled out and when it looked like she was about to clam up, Kitsune glared at her.

"Y-You got my name right," she admitted with a slight stutter before clearing her throat, "My name is Tigress. I'm well trained in hand-to-hand, ranged and close quarter weaponry. I don't have any particular powers like Pvt. Hive."

There was something lingering after that sentence and it made Kitsune hum again. He eyed her blade, "You prefer sword fighting over hand-to-hand or ranged tactics?"

"Uh, yeah," she finished lamely and fidgeted slightly while under the gaze of her classmates. Unknown to the new teacher, the other students were gob-smacked as this teacher, unlike others, made Tigress actually talk. Normally she'd be League of Shadow-like and keep to herself.

Boy, was there going to be some gossip during free periods.

"Hm...Do I know you from somewhere?" Kitsune asked finally, crossing an arm over his chest and putting a hand on his chin, "I swear I've seen you before. Maybe at a mall or something?"

"N-No."

"...If you say so," the thoroughly unconvinced thief replied before glancing over the class and locked his eyes on an awed student, "You, Bats."

"Kyd Wykkyd," the boy replied softly, a hint of awe to his voice, "I can teleport and create holes through surfaces that matter can travel through. Can I ask you something?"

Shrugging, Kitsune replied with, "Go ahead."

"What's it like to be dating a superhero?"

All noise stopped and Kitsune knew that the rest of the day was going to go downhill if he didn't deal with this correctly. Warily, the more experienced teen asked, "What do you mean?"

"Prof. Giz let it slip during a tutoring session that you once dated Supergirl," Wykkyd replied as the class' eyes all landed on him, "But that was before Arkham Asylum closed."

_That_ certainly got Kitsune's attention. In a blur of orange, Kitsune vanished and reappeared with his hand around Wykkyd's throat.

"What do you mean Arkham closed? Where is Gotham keeping its psychos if Arkham is closed!?" the new teacher demanded, worry for his mother had destroyed all rational thought and action. The court ruled that she would be in her normal cell at Arkham. He should've been able to call her or visit her if she was there.

"Grk...D-Don't know...details..." Wykkyd gasped out. Kitsune realized what he was doing and dropped Kyd on his ass. While coughing heavily after being choked, Wykkyd wheezed out, "Heard it...in the...teachers' lounge."

"Sorry Kyd," Kitsune grunted out as he helped the boy to his feet, "People close to me were just re-admitted to Arkham and I've been trying to contact them for days."

"It's **cough** okay," Wykkyd replied while rubbing his throat.

Kitsune, knowing that the tension was too high, decided to change the subject before Blood was called back and they got in a dispute. Clearing his throat, Kitsune asked, "You, ah, wanted to know about my, er, relationship with a hero, right?"

That managed to break the ice. Students once more adopted curious looks rather than frightened or (for the more sadistic few) entertained ones. Wykkyd nodded and his red eyes followed the orange-clad thief as he walked back to the front of the room.

"Well...Hero/Villain relationships are practically non-existent," the new teacher started before smirking, "But I'm no villain. I'm a thief."

"Isn't that the same thing?" Bumblebee asked with a frown on her face. Other students shared the confusion.

"Nope!" Kitsune said cheerfully, "A villain is someone like Penguin or Toymaker; Both try to control how things work in their respective cities. A good supervillain, as you've probably learned, has specific ideals and goals. Primarily world domination, which if you ask me would be lame once it was achieved."

"Then there's the psycho villains, who no one, not even the great Batman, can crack," he continued, "Like...Uh..."

"Joker?" Tigress supplied, shocking the group once again with her voice. Some of the males in the class made goo-goo eyes at her for the sexy voice, while girls were just shocked that she spoke.

With a growl, Kitsune nodded, "Yeah, _him_. People–no, _Things_ like _Joker_ have no goal. No endgame. They just want to live life to the fullest. Most supervillains, however, are simple and want to be in command. Some go about it secretly, like Lex Luthor, while others try to get what the power they want through force, such as Killer Croc or Bane."

"Thieves, on the other hand, well, most thieves are just trying to survive or help their families through rough times. Take the recently retired Mr. Freeze, for example." Kitsune started, not realizing that the class had started to take notes again, "Dr. Victor Fries was trying to cure his wife from some fatal disease when he was turned into the cryogenically altered Mr. Freeze. Batman, while having his heroic intentions, continued to stop Dr. Fries from ever getting anywhere in his research. Part of the blame does belong to Fries, who could have pleaded his case and eventually got help through legal matters, but the blame belongs to Batman. In fact, if you look at every hero's records, more than half the time they stop a villain from causing havoc, lock them up, and then go about their business. Not once did Batman ever try to help Dr. Fries cure his wife, nor would the law allow him to continue his research."

"So...Thieves are basically survivors or heroes in their own way?" See-More asked.

"It all depends on what you do with what you've stolen," Kitsune said, "Freeze had the unfortunate position of fixing two problems at once: His mutation and his wife's disease. His suit, as we all know through media, needed specific minerals to power it. Diamonds. What else can be done with diamonds? We can sell them. In Freeze's mind, it was two birds with one stone. He gets to continue living and eventually he can find a cure for his wife."

"Hey, whatever happened to Mr. Freeze?" A boy in the back asked. Kitsune eyed him and took note of the plus on his red suit. The boy immediately introduced himself, "Oh, my name's Billy Numerous! Sorry bout that teach!"

"Well, Billy, thanks to the help of a certain thief," Kitsune said with a grin as he placed a hand on his chest, "Dr. Fries and his wife are currently living a cryo-free life in Honolulu. Heck, word on the block is Mrs. Fries is expecting a little ice cube."

"Why do you steal?" Tigress suddenly asked, once again stunning the class. Kitsune eyed her curiously, a hidden blonde brown rose in amusement, before he answered her.

"Habit. I used to live on the streets in Gotham," the fox-themed male said with a shrug as he crossed his arms, "No money equals no food. Not acceptable. I used to break into gas stations and steal chips until one night I was found by Catwoman. Heists from then on have just become a family thing. Hell, my current girlfriend managed to snatch the Eiffel Tower's flag. I think I sold it to some dude in Milwaukee."

"Who's your girlfriend?" Bumblebee asked curiously, other females leaning in for good dirt while the single boys grumbled under their breaths.

"Why? Want some dirt on my bed life to get good grades? Or do you want a threesome?" Kitsune asked jokingly. This had the adverse effect of getting several blushing girls to sigh dreamily, the rest of the blushing girls vehemently denying it, and all the boys knocked out with smiles on their faces.

* * *

~Present~

"You jerk!" Kara growled as she smacked him upside the head, "What the Hell were you thinking?"

"Oi! It was a joke!" Naruto shot back as he rubbed his crown, "Relax babe. I told you I wouldn't start looking until I got a bigger place."

"In Jump City?" Kara asked hopefully. She loved Metropolis and Gotham, but for the life of her she couldn't bear to be hidden in Clark's shadow forever. Poor Connor...Maybe she should invite him out here for a visit. Then again...Bad idea, Naruto and Connor aren't exactly BFFs.

"Maybe not," Naruto groaned, "Did I tell you I ran into Robin last week? Little twerp is starting his own version of Young Justice. He even had a hot alien chick!"

"_Excuse_ me?" an annoyed Kryptonian woman asked, her voice bordering along the line of 'mad' and 'furious'. Of course, Naruto didn't catch on to this as quickly as he should have.

"What? You're a hot alien chick that can bench this building four times over. Megan's got curves and a cute personality mixed with her naivety. Hell, most of the alien chicks we meet are hot by earthling standards," the blonde said before taking note of the glowing red in his pregnant girlfriend's normally blue eyes. Speaking quickly, Naruto saved his own ass by adding, "But you're definitely a cut above the rest, babe!"

"...You're lucky you're cute," Kara grumbled as she leaned back on his shoulder. Sure, she agreed to the polygamy thing, but she really wasn't ready for it.

Wrapping an arm around her, Naruto sighed before he remembered something, "Hey, do we still have the newspaper from Sunday morning?"

"Yeah its on the shelf, why?" Kara asked in confusion with a hint of warning.

A thinking Naruto distractedly stood up and answered quietly, "I need to check something..."

* * *

~HIVE Academy, Female Dorms~

Tigress locked the door to her room and immediately fell back against it. Putting her hands to her head, the girl pulled the mask from her face. Sighing, she held it to her side before dragging her other hand down her face. Tears fell down her cheeks and a small smile crossed over her lips.

"I can't believe _I_ found him..." she murmured, "In Jump City, no less. While I'm trying to find my sister!"

Laughing at the absurdity of the situation, the girl went to her desk and pulled out a laptop. After turning the machine on and opening a communication screen, the raven-haired girl smiled at the person on the other line, "Line's secure."

"_What's wrong, Arte? Need an extraction? Did you find Cheshire?_" the redheaded law student asked in concern as her face appeared on screen, "_Any news on Dick?_"

"Nothing's wrong," Artemis replied as she wiped the tears away, "I...I just couldn't believe it. I found him, Barb!"

"_You found Dick? Oh thank God,_" Barbara Gordon sighed out. Her relief vanished as soon as Artemis spoke again.

"No, not Dick, sorry," she said with an apologetic tone before smiling, "I found _him_!"

"_Who? Who did you find? What's going on out there?_" Barbara asked with worry in her voice.

"Kitsune, Barbara!" the raven-haired heroine-in-disguise replied impatiently. A long pause followed, which was then quickly broken by the redhead's hopeful voice.

"_Y-You found Root?_"

"I know right?" Artemis asked with her own smile, "He's in Jump City!"

"_How do you know_?" the inevitable question followed.

"Well, for one thing he's the new Thievery teacher here," Artemis replied before asking, "Hey, is it true Arkham closed?"

Barbara blinked, "_Yeah. The city's government managed to keep it quiet though. There is a huge debate over some idea Quincy has for the new facility, Bruce is against it but won't tell me what it's about. All I know is it concern's Arkham. How'd you find out?_"

"The word is spreading like wildfire through villainous circles," Artemis murmured before crossing her arms under her still armored-covered chest, "Someone's found out on this side."

"_...Does Root know? Selena's sentencing was to Arkham. If it closed and she was moved without his knowledge..._"

"That's exactly what I'm worried about," the undercover heroine replied before pinching her nose, "He's already bordering on an explosion. You need to have Bruce find Selena Kyle."

"_What? I can't do that! He'll find out about your infiltration after the League dropped Young Justice! He'll kill us if he finds out about this mission you're on!_" Barbara replied.

Artemis glared at the screen, "Worst case scenario: he pulls me out! Kitsune nearly killed some poor kid for dropping the bomb on him! He's probably been trying to get in contact with her for weeks!"

"_That _is_ bad...What are you going to do?_" the redhead asked her friend. Artemis sighed and played with her raven ponytail as she thought. She couldn't risk blowing her cover in the school or outside. That meant only one thing.

"I'm going to find out where Naruto Kyle is," Artemis decided with a nod, "Maybe if I can talk to him he can help me find Cheshire. It could distract him from looking into Arkham's sudden closing and keep him from going ballistic on the Gotham government."

"_It will only buy us so much time..._" Barbara muttered, "_I'll keep you posted on the Arkham thing. If we're lucky, we can find out what the hell is going on._"

Signing off from the computer, Artemis stared at the blank screen before shaking her head, "I've got a bad feeling about this."

* * *

**AN: So Artemis is now Tigress, Arkham is closed, and Arkham City is under development! Let's not forget Naruto's got a baby on the way, and the Titans are starting to get big in Jump.**

**Stay tuned next time for Episode 19: ...And Back Again.**

**REVIEW!**


	19. Episode 19

**Disclaimer: Ladies and Gentlemen, the most recent sighting of the rouge writer dubbed Bonesboy15 occurred in downtown Cincinnati earlier this morning. Local authorities are keeping an eye out, but would like to remind the public that this is a **_**dangerous**_** man. Please, if you see this man call–**

**Zzt "Is this thing on? Good, good. Well, viewers of the world, this is Bonesboy15. I have no ownership over Naruto or DC...But I will, unless you want the entire Jersey Shore to be blown sky high! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! ...You have five days." Zzt**

**Episode 19: ...And Back Again**

* * *

~Jump City Bank, Oct 10th, 2:27 AM~

"_This is the way I swipe the money, swipe the money, swipe the money. This is the way I swipe the money so early in the mor~ning!_" Kitsune sang to himself quietly as he went through various drop boxes of Jump City's more 'high class' banks. Earlier the day before, he had tried to open an account, but the effort was scrubbed by some snooty asshat of a clerk.

Needless to say, this was the retribution. He broke in just five minutes ago and knocked out the two guards, wrapping them up with duct tape and stuffing them in the women's restroom. Not the first place cops would look, plus, it would be hysterical to read about in the following day's paper.

"_This is the way I_-Oh hello," Kitsune hummed as he opened a box and found a rusty knife with dark red blotches on it. Taking a sniff, Kitsune gagged and held the knife away from him, "Ugh...Tomatoes...Must be a family heirloom accidently used by some teen. Blackmail!"

Stuffing the knife in his sack, Kitsune continued to merrily rob several people blind. Well, he would have if a red bird-like boomerang didn't imbed itself next to his hand. With a frown, the fox-themed thief turned to face the five teens from before.

"Don't you kids have school?" Kitsune asked with an arched brow, "I mean, seriously. The alien, mutant and cyborg I could understand, but goth-girl and bird-boy? Come on..."

"We're here to stop you, Kitsune," Robin declared with a gloved finger pointed at him, "Titans, G-!"

"Go home, Richard." The sentence made Robin growl as Kitsune turned back around and resumed thieving, "Seriously, I'm pretty sure I made my point last week."

"Yeah, well, you caught us off guard," the green teen, Beast Boy, said while pointing his own grey gloved finger at him, "This time we're ready!"

"Uh-huh," Kitsune said absentmindedly as he popped another box's lid open, scowling, "Seriously? Who saves a bunch of fake jewelry?"

He tossed the box behind him and went to the next one, ignoring the Titans as they stared at his back incredulously. Kitsune began prying the next box open, lazily glancing over his shoulder, "You're still here?"

"Titans, GO!" Robin barked as he pulled his collapsible staff out and swung. Kitsune tilted his head lazily to the right, letting the attack fly by him effortlessly. While still fiddling with the box in his arms, he blocked a following swing with his foot.

"Hey, any of you kids got a hair pin? Birdboy? Alien chick? Yes? No?" He asked as he ducked under a large blue energy beam. Standing with a scowl, Kitsune glared at Cyborg.

"Hey, you could've hit me with that!" he scolded as he chucked the box at Cyborg's head. The impromptu weapon collided with the teen's face and his head flew back, both cybernetic hands rushing to where he was hurt. Kitsune ducked under another swing from Robin's staff and ran towards what he assumed was the primary powerhouse. He leapt up and launched both of his feet into Cyborg's face.

The living computer went sailing backwards, going through the unoccupied wall and smashing a few desks. Beast Boy took a look at his unconscious friend before growling. He fell back a few spaces before running towards the rising thief. The green teen transformed into a green elephant, trumpeting with his charge. Kitsune took notice that the others had backed off while Beast Boy charged.

"Huh, seems like Birdboy has been giving you some YJ team training," was all he said before the elephant barreled into him, charging him through the deposit box wall and into the streets.

"Whoops," Beast Boy said after he shifted back and looked at his approaching team, a dizzy Cyborg being assisted by Starfire, "I might've gone too far."

Robin's eyes narrowed behind his mask, "It shouldn't have been that easy."

"What? Dude, are you serious? I totally got him! Look, he's buried under bricks!" Beast Boy pointed out. It was true; Kitsune was covered in varying bricks, a lone hand sticking out.

Robin's guard remained up as he approached the hand of his former frienemy. With a frown, he reached out to grab the appendage when it burst into smoke. Scowling, Robin swiveled around and announced, "I knew it! Come out! I know you're nearby!"

"Friend Robin, what do you mean?" Starfire asked as Cyborg righted himself and stepped away from her. The redheaded alien stepped forward, "Surely the Thief Kitsune is done!"

"I dunno, Star," Cyborg said as he ran a self-diagnostic, "That kick of his sent me through a wall, and it takes a lot of strength to move me, let alone do that."

"They're right," Raven murmured as she glared at the rocks, "A normal thief should've been unconscious, if not dead. Next time, go for the Gorilla, Beast Boy."

"Man, you guys are such downers," the shape shifter whined, "If he's not under the rubble, where is he? He could've used a smoke bomb like those ice bombs."

"Nice to see you're using your brain, BB," Cyborg joked before sighing, "But I'm scanning the area right now. Save for the two guards, and us, I can't get a read on anyone else in the immediate area. A larger scan would require some specifics that I don't have."

Robin growled and clenched his fists before storming back towards the bank, "Let's at least see what he stole."

The others nodded and followed him, each wondering the same thing as Robin: If Kitsune wasn't under the rubble, where was he?

* * *

~Kyle Penthouse, Jump City, 2:49 AM~

"Pain, god, the pain," Kitsune grumbled as he pulled himself through the window that replaced the rubble wall he and Kara made a few weeks back. Sluggishly, Kitsune dropped his bag on the ground and pulled his hood back. Naruto wrapped an arm around his stomach before falling on the couch.

_Ok, that could've gone better,_ the blonde mused as he lifted his costume's shirt to look at the darkening bruise slowly forming. His head falling back, Naruto growled, "I shouldn't have played around like that. Rookie mistake. Selena would've killed me."

Saying his mother's name made him think of what he could gather from the underground news. According to some local gangs and the gossip in HIVE Academy, Arkham Asylum's acting warden had made a deal with the Mayor to take a chunk of Gotham's slums and convert it to a prison-like district. It was being called Arkham City, and nearly 5,000 criminals were residing in there: Nigma, Dent and Cobblepot being a few names that he knew the most.

_And Selena's in there with those psychos!_ Naruto snarled and sat up quickly, wincing at the pain that jolted through his body. He glared at his partially revealed stomach, particularly the bruise that was forming.

_Stupid green shit! Next time I see him I'll-_ "What on Earth happened to you?" His pregnant lover asked as she walked in the room, wearing one of his shirts. Naruto grinned and sat up, offering her a seat.

"Just played around with Dick's new friends," he replied before the Kryptonian floated over to him and joined him on the couch, leaning on him as he wrapped an arm over her shoulders, "Did I wake you?"

"Mm, sort of," Kara replied as she nuzzled his shoulder, "I felt your presence...rather, _she_ did."

"I'm telling you, it's a boy," Naruto argued as his hand went down and grazed over Kara's stomach, "No little girl would make you eat more ramen than me."

Kara smirked, "You've got a point there...but it's so damn good."

"Amen to that," the thief replied as he sent chakra through his hand to her womb, "Whatever he or she is, I think it's a reaction to my chakra that woke you up."

"Or maybe it's my stomach telling me my chef is home," the alien teased, lightly poking the bruise on his midsection, "So how'd this get here?"

"Dick's little shape shifter turned into an elephant and barreled me through a wall," Naruto grunted at the prod, "Managed to kick the living terminator through the other before though, so I guess it's fair."

"And Robin?" she asked, "I got a message from J'onn saying that Batgirl and the others were worried about him."

Naruto sighed, "Barb shouldn't worry about Dick. Well, not as much as she does. He's just trying to branch out and do his own thing. The others shouldn't worry and follow his example. Especially the Banana Peel."

"What else is he going to go by, Flasher? Dash? The Blur?" Kara asked with an amused smile.

"He could be the Speedster or Speedy seeing as Arsenal is trying his own hand at merc work," Naruto mused before cupping his chin, "Now that I think about it, Arsenal owes me a favor...well, seven actually."

"Gonna make him cash in?" Kara asked as her eyes slowly fell shut. Naruto smiled at her before picking her up and carrying her to their bed, ignoring his bruised body's objections.

After putting her on the bed and stripping to his boxers, Naruto joined his fellow blonde, spooning her as he pulled the blankets up over them. Softly, he answered her, "Maybe tomorrow."

* * *

~HIVE Academy, 11:23 AM~

"You want to do what?" Mammoth asked as he ate lunch with his friends and fellow teachers. He was the official PE and Bodybuilding teacher due to his near unmatchable strength. He was currently staring in disbelief at the current Thievery teacher. Even Gizmo and Jinx were giving their old friend odd looks.

"I want to break into this so-called Arkham City," Kitsune replied nonchalantly as he spun an apple on his finger, "I need to be sure that Catwoman is ok."

"Dude, your concern is touching and I want to cry at the soap that you're laying out before me, but answer me this: WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SMOKING DIPSHIT?" Gizmo roared as he got in the thief's face, "It's a fucking rumor! Gotham isn't going to give up nearly a third of its property to house criminals!"

Kitsune shoved the genius out of his face, "Personal space, Giz. I know it's a rumor, but goddammit I haven't heard jack shit from anyone at Arkham, not even Strange. He's usually on the up and up when it comes to psych cases. He would've called me by now!"

"I will admit that it is odd," Jinx replied as a pear floated into her hand from the food bar Blood supplied the teachers' lounge with, "Normally Dr. Strange would've at least sent for you to see her. He keeps his image up with the slogan that 'loving families cure'."

"My point exactly," Kitsune said after he swallowed some of his apple, "So, who's in?"

"Can't," Mammoth grit out around his large sandwich, "Finals are coming up and I want to make sure M2 is ready for the real world."

"I'm with fatass over here," Gizmo grumbled as he poked at his last bit of lunch, a mandatory salad, "Not only that, but his sister Shimmer is coming to see her 'nephew'."

Mammoth's eye twitched, "Giz, you go near my sister, and you die."

Gizmo swallowed and nervously laughed before looking at the amused Kitsune, "So...when did you want to do this?"

Kitsune chuckled and tossed the finished apple at a garbage bin, "Soon, but Mammoth's right. Finals are coming up and I do want to see how some of my kids preform. Bumblebee especially..."

"Into younger women are you? How will the missus take that, I wonder?" Jinx asked with a smirk. Kitsune sent a glower her way.

"Not cool, don't even joke about that, Jinx," the thief shuddered, "Why she's letting me do _that_, I haven't a clue. I don't even want to bring it up because I'm afraid she'll say something that reveals her to be an evil clone. That would totally suck."

"Whatever psycho-nuts, don't you have a class to teach?" Giz asked as he looked at the clock. Kitsune glanced at it and shrugged.

"Meh, I'll let 'em squirm."

* * *

~Kitsune's Classroom, 11:45 AM~

_How should I go about this?_ Tigress wondered as she thought over how she would approach Kitsune. For the past nine days she had been trying to follow him after he left the HIVE.

Trying being the operative word.

Exactly each time she would get a block away from the HIVE entrance, the thief would ditch her faster than you could say 'elusive'.

The first time, he took to the roofs, leaving her dumbfounded at how he casually bounded to the top of a three-story building. Sure, walking up walls she was used to, but playing Superboy was a whole different thing. She was too awestruck to attempt a chase, and even if she did, he would easily spot her.

Then there was the fact that Kitsune would usually vanish in an orange blur whenever he stepped outside of the HIVE's doors. The first time he did it, Tigress scouted the immediate area for any signs of him. It nearly caused her to run into the new hero team, the Teen Titans. The only upside was that she found out where Robin was and what he was doing.

"Where's the teach?" Bumblebee asked aloud as she entered the room late. Bags were under her eyes and she didn't seem to care that she was late. Tigress glanced at her briefly before shrugging along with the class. The insect-themed girl merely sighed and sat down at her seat.

"Ma'am! Prof. Kitsune hasn't yet reported in yet, Ma'am! Request permission to-Ow!" A spoon being tossed at his head by the teacher in question interrupted private HIVE's tangent. The fox themed thief entered the room while holding a white porcelain bowl up with one hand. He was slurping the remnants of _something_, and doing so obnoxiously.

After a moment, Tigress' irritation broke through, "Professor-?"

A finger was held up, asking for a moment and the sound of slurping ended with a large gulp. Lowering his bowl, the thief grinned at his 'class' and licked his lips, like an animal would after eating to clean its muzzle.

"Yes, my dear Tigress?" Kitsune inquired as he set the bowl to the side.

"Uh...Could I talk to you after class?" the heroine in disguise wanted to slap herself as whispers started to escape her fellow 'classmates'. She wanted his help, and seeing as she couldn't keep trying to catch him off guard at home, she decided to play the student card. Unfortunately, this planted the seed for a new rumor to be spread amongst the students.

_Wonderful_, the girl mused with a frown.

Kitsune hummed as he thought over his response. On one hand, he could help solve someone's problem, something that always made him feel good on the inside. He was momentarily a hero, after all, even if it was more of an anti-hero career. However, on the other hand, Kara had been increasing her affections every day he came home. So if he waited after class to talk to Tigress, he risks missing that window of opportunity.

...

...

Damn his selflessness when it came to girls. Seriously, if a guy asks for help and he would miss out on some awesome sex, that dude would be left to rot. Add two mounds on the chest and remove the genitalia that make the person a male, boom, instant help.

Maybe he was a ladies' man in the past life, perhaps that's why...

Eventually, Kitsune sighed and nodded, "Sure thing. Now, everyone open your books to chapter fifteen; _Tools, Talents, and Temptation_."

* * *

~Kitsune's Classroom, 12:30 PM~

"So what was it you needed, Tigress?" the thief asked as he gathered up his own notes and books, placing them in his bag that he pulled out of his hidden safe within the room. Once again, he found evidence of tampering and attempted entry, which made him smile. The students were technically learning how to steal, and if they could swipe his bag (which was just a method for him to carry papers, his civvies, and a couple of spare dollars for a snack machine) then they were ready for the real world.

Of course, that didn't mean they wouldn't be reprimanded. Oh the horrors he would come up with for the children, but sadly that would have to wait.

"Is the room under surveillance?" the girl asked, reminding the thief most of the students and faculty members were just as paranoid as she was acting. Though now his curiosity was peaked and he figured he made the right call, Kitsune nodded.

"No cameras or microphones?" the jungle cat themed female asked. Beneath his goggles, Kitsune's eyes rolled.

"No cameras or microphones...I swept the room as soon as I entered and after the rest of the class left," the thief reassured the girl almost tiredly. He really hated paranoid people; seriously they got on his nerves. It didn't help that their spokesman to him was Batman of all people.

"I didn't see you-"

"Of course you didn't," groaned the fox-themed thief, "I'm a friggin master when it comes to this sort of stuff. Now could you get to the point?"

"I need your help," Tigress said, before reaching up and pulling her mask off. Beneath his goggles, blue eyes widened as he saw a face that he hadn't seen in almost three years.

"Jesus H-! Artemis?" Kitsune exclaimed as the girl nodded, "What the fu-? What are _you_ doing here? I thought you left this life behind after you teamed up with Green Arrow!"

After he had initially joined Young Justice, he had been introduced to the team and their identities save for a younger Dick Grayson (whom he had already knew). He and Artemis hadn't the chance to work together on an actual mission, but they had trained together long enough for him to memorize the girl's face. Again, thank God his mother was an art dealer.

"I'm looking for my sister," Artemis answered, before smirking, "Imagine my surprise when I find you way out here in Jump City. Why the change of scenery?"

"Gotham was getting too dangerous," Kitsune replied with a frown as he recovered from his shock, "And Selena insisted I find a new city to call home after _someone_ _**framed**_ _her_. Tell me what you do know about this 'Arkham City' and I may be inclined to help you."

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about," Tigress replied as she put her mask back on, "And what happened to Selena Kyle wasn't our fault. I don't have-grk!"

Kitsune grabbed the undercover heroine by her throat and lifted her up before pushing her against the wall with a snarl, "Listen here, _Tigress_, I _know_ that you _were_ on **that** particular mission! You **do** know something! You have five seconds to tell me or I'll-!"

Tigress cut him off by pressing her feet into his gut and kicking him away. Kitsune stumbled back into his desk, grunting in anger and surprise, while the girl gasped and recovered from his grip. The former archer drew her blade and held it in a defensive stance.

"Fine!" Kitsune snarled, "Let's play it your way, _Tigress_! I guess I'll have to beat it out of you!"

"I don't know anything!" Tigress retorted as she braced herself. The thief paid her reply no mind as he leapt at her, piercing through her defense and wrapping his arms around her while driving his shoulder into her gut towards the wall. Before colliding, the two vanished in an orange flash.

* * *

~Downtown Jump City, 12:38 PM~

Kitsune and Tigress reappeared in the midst of downtown, coming out of the thief's teleport in a roll. Kitsune found himself pinning Tigress to the ground, but before he could attempt to interrogate her, the heroine once again kicked him off of her.

Kitsune landed gracefully while an approaching car swerved out of the way and into the nearest telephone pole. The thief paid the ensuing chaos no mind and rushed forward, building wind up around his fists.

The reason Kitsune was fighting aggressively because of the fact someone had framed Selena Kyle for a theft of a very pricy statue of a cat, breaking her agreement with the District Attorney that kept her out of lockup and let her raise her newly adopted son. Kitsune was under the impression that Young Justice was responsible for allowing her arrest, considering their mission was to protect said statue.

"Kitsune, snap out of it! I don't want to fight!" Tigress pleaded as she was on the defense, "I just need your help!"

"You want my help? After what you did to my mother?" Kitsune hissed as his wind covered arm pressed against her blade and they struggled for control, "Someone took the lynx and put it in our apartment! When the cops found it _and_ Fang, both he and Selena were taken away! I lost my mother because you _kids_ couldn't do your damn job!"

"We didn't know it would-!"

"YOU DIDN'T CARE!" Kitsune snarled as he pressed against her, "And now she's going to be stuck with psychos like Penguin, Bane, and Two-Face! Not to mention Zsasz! Tell me what you know!"

Tigress didn't have time to respond, because the second she tried to, a weapon came flying at the two, causing them to part. Kitsune snarled at the intruders and Tigress swallowed. A glove-covered hand caught the returning bird-a-rang and folded it up. Robin stood nearby, glaring at the thief that was clenching his fists tight enough for fingernails to bleed under the pressure.

"Need some help?" Beast boy asked as he landed next to Tigress, "This guy can be a handful!"

The other Teen Titans arrived in their own unique way and before he knew it, Kitsune was surrounded.

"This time you're going down, Kitsune," Robin said with a frown, "Titans, GO!"

* * *

**AN: Hi everyone! It's BAAACK! Anyway, spitballing here, but I have an idea for a heroic DC story, another grey, but leaning more towards the hero side.**

**SUMMARY: Found and trained by a man older than most, Naruto accepts his position as a host. The curse once bestowed becomes a gift, and the new hero takes to his new shift. Stronger than a raging typhoon, all evil will be quelled by the mystical Kitsune!**

**That's right, Naruto raised by Jason Blood and trained alongside 'The Demon' Etrigan! Give me your thoughts!**

**Next time: Episode 20: The Deal  
**

**REVIEW!**


	20. Episode 20

**Disclaimer: Zzt Good evening, Ladies and Gents. It seems as though my last message hadn't gotten through your thick skulls. You only brought this upon yourselves...Now, I demand the rights to **_**Naruto**_** and the DC Comics. My demands must be met within twenty-four hours or I will blow up a bus full of school kids.**

**By the way...It's my birthday week...Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me. I would like rights to Naruto, and also DC~! Zzt**

**Episode 20: The Deal**

* * *

~Downtown Jump City, Oct 10th, 12:52 PM~

"Are you fucking serious right now?!" Kitsune swore as he ducked under another attempted strike from Robin, "I am so not in the mood for this!"

"Sucks to suck, dude!" Beast Boy called out as he morphed into a gorilla and tried to engage the thief in hand-to-hand combat. Kitsune's eyes narrowed and held his palm out at the giant ape.

"You little green shit, why don't you try this on for size?" the Meta thief asked as he sent an enormous gust of wind at the gorilla. Beast Boy tried to hold strong, but he was sent rolling backwards thanks to the wind's speed and power. Another car made friends with a telephone pole as the driver tried to avoid the giant green gorilla thanks to the battle in the middle of the street.

"BB!" Cyborg called out in worry before glaring at the blonde, "Oh it's on now, buddy!"

"Bring it you sci-fi reject!" Kitsune shot back as his body was encased in wind. Robin tossed bird-a-rangs at him, only for the weapons to be sent flying from the mini-hurricane surrounding the blonde. Robin cried out as he was knocked back by his own weapons, disoriented and bordering on unconsciousness. The fox themed thief rushed towards Cyborg with his hands behind him.

Cyborg morphed his right hand into a sonic cannon before taking aim, "Eat this!"

The shot was fired, but instead of connecting, Kitsune split it right down the middle with his punch. Eyes flickering red, the thief whipped his knives out and channeled the chakra into them. A large nearly invisible blade appeared and faster than one could say "Boo Ya!" the half-machine teen had found himself missing a hand.

"AHH!" Cyborg called out as his circuits went haywire trying to fix the damage, similar to the pain of nerves sending messages to the brain. Though he quickly shut off the damage processors, he found himself missing the other arm. Then he was stabbed in the stomach.

"Consider it off," Kitsune snarled inches from the teenager's face. He put his right boot on the African-American teen's cybernetic shoulder before pulling his impromptu blade out. The Teen Titans cried out their friend's name as he fell to the side, in a repair setting similar to that of a regular human going into shock.

"CYBORG!" Starfire cried out in anger, her eyes glowing green as she flew at the thief. Green star bolts shot out from her hands, all with the intent to hurt the one that hurt her friend. Kitsune turned and growled, slicing through the Tamaranian princess' attacks like he had Cyborg's. The other knife was flicked out and he channeled chakra into that as well, doubling his accuracy in deflecting the star bolts.

"Rah!" Starfire cried out as she flew right at the thief with her fist cocked back. Kitsune spun his left blade around so that the pommel was facing the alien and prepared his own fist. The two threw their fists forward and they collided, with the 'human' thief managing to match the alien princess' strength. Starfire was sent flying from the equivalent to Superman's bitch slap courtesy of Kitsune's free Wind Blade. The Tamaranian was sent flying through a parked car and halfway imbedded in the wall of a building, now unconscious.

"Starfire!" Beast Boy cried out in worry as he caught the last attack. The green teen morphed into a mammoth with the intent to charge. That is, until Kitsune rounded on him and snarled. His eyes shone bright red and a guttural growl left his throat. Beast Boy had no chance as his ingrained and enhanced instincts caught the threat, seeing a vision of endless pain if he attacked. The teen hero's mind couldn't wrap around what he saw and he passed out from the stress.

"This ends now! Asarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven cried out as her eyes gave off a black light, encasing the thief in a dark mystical energy. Kitsune snarled and slammed against the sphere he was in before slashing at it with his blades. He continued this before a crack appeared in the shield. Raven began chanting and fell to her knees as she tried to contain the blonde. Kitsune kept slashing before he finally broke through. Raven, exhausted, tried to rise to her feet, only to be knocked out from the solid knee in her gut.

"Raven!" Robin exclaimed before growling and putting two bird-a-rangs together to form a sword, "That's enough! You're going down, Kitsune! I'm going to lock you up, just like your mother!"

That was a very, _very_ unwise thing to say.

Before Robin could move, Kitsune was in front of him and his blades were gone. A fist cracked across Robin's face before his defense was brought up.

"You don't get to mention my mother," Kitsune growled with a voice that promised pain, if not death itself.

The Boy Wonder was hit again from the opposite side before a barrage of martial arts began to systematically break the body of Batman's protégé. Soon enough, hands were a blur and Robin didn't feel the pain anymore. He was unconscious before Kitsune's final strike, a roundhouse kick to the head, was thrown.

Robin's body went flying through the front window of the pizza place that the people of Jump City loved so much. He landed through a table with a groan of pain, and witnesses flinched at the blood he coughed up. The witnessing civilians were shaken that their defenders, The Teen Titans, were destroyed right in front of their eyes.

Tigress watched as her former ally stood still after he utterly decimated the younger group. This was her fault, she should've brokered a deal with him, but she didn't want him to rampage through Gotham City. It seems now though that there was no stopping it. Steeling her resolve, Tigress pulled her blade out and fell into a nervous stance.

Kitsune, who heard the soft drawing of a blade, turned and faced the girl. His eyes glowing red beneath his goggles, he released a roar of sheer malice, anger, and hatred that made Tigress weak in the knees and shattered the glass of several buildings. He slowly drew another blade and stepped forward, intent on getting his answers.

"KITSUNE!"

People froze as a pissed off looking Supergirl floated down from the sky. The fox themed hero turned and glared at the girl, his eyes barely registering that she was on his side. All he saw was another _liar_. Another _betrayer_.

Another _enemy_.

But he hesitated as she smelt familiar to him.

"This stops now!" Supergirl ordered. The thief merely bared his teeth at her and growled. It took all of Kara's willpower not to submit to the silent order he gave. Still, the Kryptonian stood strong and crossed her arms. She glared at the thief before moving faster than human eyes could track. Kitsune almost avoided her swing, but she still clipped him across the jaw.

Tigress was shocked.

After what she saw him do to the Teen Titans, all it took was a single swing from Supergirl to put him down?

Supergirl meanwhile flew over to where her fiancé landed. Out cold from a downsized punch and sending him through three brick walls. She groaned at the damage, but focused on picking the unconscious male up and throwing him over her shoulder. The Kryptonian returned to grab Tigress, who didn't attempt a struggle as she was still trying to comprehend what she saw.

"You're coming with me," Supergirl ordered without room for argument as she wrapped an arm around the girl before taking off, leaving several confused Jump City citizens to speculate what they just saw and five unconscious teens to seek medical help.

* * *

~Kyle Penthouse, 5:32 PM~

"Ohh, my jaw," Naruto moaned as he slowly sat up and held the throbbing area. A quick once over revealed he was still wearing his Kitsune attire. The last thing he remembered was Artemis asking for his help. Clutching his throbbing jaw, the blonde thought,_ I feel like I went three rounds with Tyson five times in a row, losing each time. No wait...that was my losing streak in _Punch Out_. Great, there's a slight concussion. Well it explains my memory loss at least._

He continued to rub his cheek in an effort to dull the pain as he stood up from his spot on the bed. Faintly he heard two voices speaking in the next room, but his hearing was overpowered by another scent, this being the scent of smell.

And the reason was he smelt ramen.

"Food of the Gods!" Naruto exclaimed, rushing out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. There he found Tigress aka Artemis Crock chatting it up with his fiancé at the island that acted as a bar. Normally, this would worry him, as his mother had made said fiancé a plotter with how they cornered him into proposing to her, but he was too distracted by that heavenly aroma. It was so fresh, so warm, so...

So...

_Perfect._

The blonde thief raced for the dish, only to be stopped as his fiancé held her arm out, effectively clotheslining him in his dash. Naruto landed on his back, hacking and gasping for air. Kara rolled her eyes while Artemis laughed at his predicament. Adding to Naruto's embarrassment was Kage, who walked over to the blonde and pawed at him in concern.

"_Naruto okay?_" the fox whined as he nudged the thief's hand. Naruto rubbed at his throat and glared at the amused Kara before he spoke, "Y-Yeah, I'm fine Kage."

"You talk to your pet fox?" Artemis asked with a hint of amusement, "Are you psychic?"

"No, but sometimes I wish I was because then it'd be easier to know what _she_ is thinking," Naruto replied with a pointed look at the only Kryptonian in the room. His fiancé sent him a small kiss, to which he frowned, "Hey, can either of you tell me what happened in the past three hours? All I remember is being pulled aside by the jungle cat here and a throbbing feeling in my jaw. Care to explain?"

The girl wearing the jungle cat motif snickered and looked at an embarrassed Kara, "Well someone found you kicking the ever living crap out of the Teen Titans after you snapped at me. She decided it would be a good idea to punch you in the face and then bring the both of us here."

Kara whistled innocently and went back to the stove to finish up the ramen, which got Naruto's attention.

"What's the occasion?" Naruto asked as he sat at the island next to Artemis. He sent a smirk to the now cat-themed girl and asked, "You graduate from HIVE? Or is this a celebration for kicking your fiancé's ass..._again_?"

"No, you dork," Kara replied as she poured the noodles into a bowl, "It's my dinner, seeing as I'm eating for two."

"Ix-nay on the Aby-bay!" Naruto hissed while eyeing the still amused Artemis. The girl grinned at him before looking back at Kara.

"Should I tell him or should you?" The former blonde asked with a smile. Kara floated back to the island and set her bowl of noodles down before giving Naruto a view of her pearly whites.

"You're going to help Artemis save her sister," Kara said. Naruto furrowed his brows.

"Uh, hello? Thief here, not a hero. I don't do that anymore," the blonde said only to be quelled by Kara's glare, "O-Or, or I could listen to the reason why I'm going to help her...right?"

"Well, Artemis and I made a deal," Kara continued, idly eating while she explained what had been decided while Naruto was unconscious, "If you help her get her sister back from a certain someone's clutches, she won't rat out to Superman what you did to his innocent cousin."

"...This is blackmail!" Naruto accused, pointing a finger at Kara, "And you're in on it?! Kara how could you do this to me?"

"Simple, with one of us bedridden, the other should step up and take on the duties of the sick one," Kara replied before eating another bundle of noodles, "In short, you're doing this because I can't."

"The least you could do is bribe me a little, then it'd be a deal," Naruto pushed, "If I help Artemis, how can she help me?"

"Aside from not telling Superman you knocked up his only natural family member?" Artemis queried, getting a pale Naruto out of the statement. The raven-haired young woman giggled at his face before she continued, "Well, I could get you some schematics for the rumored Arkham City project from my source, Oracle."

Naruto immediately regained his color and eyed Artemis curiously, "Go on..."

"Well, according to Oracle, Arkham City is in its trial stage," Artemis began, "In three months, the civilians' relocation and the prisoners from Blackgate and Arkham Asylum will be completely surrounded by a concrete wall. TYGER, a new PMC, is heading the funding for its construction. That's all I can give you for now, but actual plans and personal files aren't free."

Naruto leaned back in his seat and hummed. He hadn't heard of this TYGER group before, so he had no idea what was in store if he just went in 'guns blazing' as the phrase goes. Even X, who he had called for assistance when the subject first came up, was hesitant to try without solid schematics. He wasn't about to return to Gotham on a "plan pulled out of the ass", as he called it.

_With those schematics and more info on what TYGER forces are like, I'd be able to slip in and out much easier,_ Naruto mused before looking at the girl. Running a hand through his hair, feigning defeat, he spoke, "I guess that'll have to do...But I want a meeting with this Oracle, chick."

"I can't promise anything, but I'll try," Artemis replied before holding her hand out, "So...deal?"

Naruto eyed her outstretched hand wearily, his inner thief screaming not to shake on it, but relented with a sigh. Grasping the young woman's gloved hand with his own, their eyes locked and a silent concern was shared between the two.

"_You'd better hold up on your end."_

* * *

~Kyle Penthouse, 8:25 PM~

Naruto sat at his desk looking over the city's steel mill schematics. It was horrifyingly similar to Gotham North's Steel Mill, and that's how he knew where Cheshire would be. If the kidnapper was who Artemis said it was, the sadistic clown would love to make his carnival set up in the dank, creepy steel mill. His eyes flashed red and a familiar feeling of nausea hit him, making him groan in annoyance.

"What do you want, Kyuubi?" the blonde asked with an frown on his face as he swiveled around to look at the redheaded man seated on the windowsill with a grin on his face.

"**Well now, is that any way to greet your father?"** Kyuubi asked with a mock frown.

Naruto felt the urge to attack the man and growled, "You've _yet_ to prove we're biologically related. Let me ask again: What. Do. You. Want?"

The red eyed man' face shifted into a fox-like grin, **"I heard you were going after that clown man again."**

"Do I want to know how?" the blonde asked tiredly. He held his hands up and immediately corrected himself, "No, on second thought, I don't want to encourage you. Just tell me what you want. It's been a long fucking day. I just wanna finish this up and go to bed."

"**If you must know, I came to inform you that not all is as it seems at the steel mill,"** Kyuubi replied cryptically. The self-proclaimed elemental pulled out a bottle of wine from behind him and began pouring himself a glass. Taking a sip of the red wine, sunglasses wearing man licked his lips lightly with an approving sigh, **"So good...Anyway, just pack a lot of those ice bombs the former icicle made for you. I'd give you some more advice, but where's the fun in that?"**

"Gee thanks a lot," Naruto growled as the being vanished with a smirk on his face. The blonde rubbed the bridge of his nose and groaned in annoyance from his "father's" visit. That just raised more questions for him to think over while planning this little rescue mission. Naruto swiveled back around and looked down at the schematics, scowling as he did so.

With these new questions he gained more concern for his and his "employer's" safety. He needed to ensure that they'd not only get out alive but get Artemis' sister out as well.

With this in mind, the blonde had a good hour-long mental debate on whether or not he should ask for help from a certain someone. He groaned as he realized his wallet would be significantly smaller before reaching over to his phone and dialing a number.

The phone rang for a good five minutes before it was picked up.

"_Hello, this is the Jump City Wilson residence, Wintergreen speaking._"

* * *

**AN: And so ends the latest (and sadly short (Sorry but I had to party this week, two decades for the win!)) episode. Let's recap: Naruto kicked the Teen Titans asses, got a sucker punch from his fiancé, blackmailed by said woman and a girl he occasionally flirted with, and now he's being warned by Kyuubi to pack ice bombs...Take a guess as to what comes next.**

**REVIEW!**

**Next time, Episode 21: What A Small World We Live In**


	21. Cancelled

**It's _that_ chapter, you've all been expecting it. I want to say that I'm horribly sorry that this story is cancelled...but I'm not.**

**This isn't abandoned.**

**No, I see this like a cartoon, like Batman TAS or Superman TAS...**

**It's been cancelled.**

**Shows over, go watch something else.**

**You can give me hate for it, I don't care. That only means you enjoyed it, and frankly, that means I did what I set out to do.**

**I entertained you.**

**And so, because you all no doubt hate my guts anyway, I leave to you my initial plans.**

**Naruto was going to bust Jade out, have another brawl with Joker/Clayface, though most of you could've guessed that.**

**Then he would've gone searching for Silena. Get captured, tortured by Ra's. Batman comes in, saves the day, yadda, yadda, yadda. Silena and Bats get serious, maybe.**

**Supergirl would've eventually let Artemis and Batgirl/Oracle in on the harem. The first daughter of Naruto's would be born. Naruto and the Titans would have more entertaining interactions.**

**Naruto and Darkseid would've faced off. Naruto gets his ass handed to him until Supes comes in as backup. Naruto would've gone Elemental on Darkseid when the New God threatens his family.**

**That was the plan...But then life happened. I graduated Highschool. I went to collage. I experimented with my writing.**

**I learned that writing harems was not my best work.**

**I had an epiphany.**

**I wouldn't come back to finish this story because there was no story. Not entirely. I had no structure. I was adding everything I could into the story from the DC comics/TV shows/video games...For no reason other than to say I could.**

**So, with this said, I end Kitsune: Son of Catwoman.**

**But who knows? Maybe I'll think up something better next time.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Keep on, Keepin on.  
**

**With Love and Regret, Bonesboy15**


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